April 5 (Reuters) - Procter & Gamble ( PG ) is recalling

8.2 million defective bags of some of its laundry detergent pods

in the U.S. due to a packaging flaw that could pose a risk of

injury to children, the Tide maker said on Friday.

The voluntary recall was for Tide Pods, Gain Flings, Ace

Pods and Ariel Pods liquid laundry detergent packaged in

flexible film bags and manufactured between September 2023 and

February 2024.

There were three reports of children who ingested the

contents of the laundry packets, P&G said, adding there were no

confirmed cases of incidents or injuries directly related to the

packaging defect.

The risk was posed by the outer packaging of the bags that

could split open near the zipper track, exposing children to

chemicals in these detergent pods.

Chemicals in laundry pods can cause seizures, coma, severe

breathing impairments, eye damage and burns.

The recall also involves about 56,741 units sold in Canada.

Laundry detergent pods were introduced in the U.S. market in

2012. The all-in-one brightly colored packets contain detergent

that is released during the wash, eliminating the need for users

to measure the detergent.

P&G had earlier too come under the spotlight over safety

issues around pod detergents. In 2012, the company said it would

add a safety latch to its detergent pods, after a child was

hospitalized for swallowing the contents.

(Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj

Kalluvila)