A toddler was almost blinded when a washing detergent capsule exploded in her face – leaving her with 95 per cent burns to her left eye.
Rainbow Jones was left with the horrific injuries when the Ariel Liquitab burst in her hand spaying her with the chemicals inside.
Her mother Simone Jones, 27, heard her daughter scream in agony and desperately tried to wash the liquid off her skin before rushing her to hospital.
Doctors saved her sight by rinsing her eyes with a diluting solution.
Rainbow Jones suffered severe burns to her left eye after a washing detergent capsule burst in her face
The 18-month-old’, pictured before the accident (left), managed to reach through a gap in a child-proofed cupboard. Her mother rinsed the chemicals off in a bath before rushing her to AE
‘I had just turned my back just to turn their food over in the oven and in a few seconds I heard this huge pop and then screaming,’ she said.
‘When I turned round I just felt sick to my stomach and felt the desperate need to wash it off her and out her eye.
‘So I grabbed her immediately and ran upstairs to put her in the bath I’d already ran for my husband.
‘She was just screaming in pain and fighting everything I did, but I had to just keep rinsing her with fresh water.
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‘I tried my best to rinse her eyes but she was still fighting me quite badly.’
Rainbow was playing at her home in Irthlingborough, Northamptonshire, last Wednesday when she managed to grab the washing capsule out of a child-proof cupboard.
Mother-of-two Miss Jones, a beauty therapist who lives with partner Dale Fraser, 49, said they were always careful to keep potentially dangerous items out of reach of the children.
But the 18-month-old managed to reach through a gap and the capsule burst as she tried to pull it out of the cupboard.
‘There was a small gap in the cupboard and as she tried to pull it out it obviously popper and just went all over her face and in her eyes.
‘It was terrifying and I just want to warn other parents to keep washing tablets away from children.’
The washing detergent capsule exploded in Rainbow’s hand, squirting chemicals in her face and eyes
Mother-of-two Simone Jones has shared pictures of daughter Rainbow’s injuries to warn parents to keep them out of reach of children
After washing Rainbow in the bath, Miss Jones said her daughter started to become lethargic and floppy.
She rushed her to AE at Kettering General Hospital where she says the doctors were fantastic.
Miss Jones was told Rainbow had 95 per cent burns to the cornea in her left eye – after the protective layer was stripped off – and five per cent to the right.
THE DANGEROUS CHEMICALS IN YOUR DETERGENT
Butylphenyl methylpropional: A synthetic fragrance that is also used in a number of beauty products.
It is considered safe only within recommended use of concentration.However, it is a skin irritant and there have been tests that found that skin applications at high concentrations in animals caused sperm damage.
Alpha-isomethyl Ionone: Has been found to irritate the skin and trigger allergic reactions in some people.
However, it is still found in detergents and other cosmetics that are not classed as a ‘fragrance’.
Linalool, Hexyl cinnamal, Citronellol: Severe allergens that be listed on the label because they are severe allergens.
Higher concentrations can even cause central nervous system disruption (thus their use in certain pesticides) and skin, eye and respiratory tract irritation.
These chemicalc can also trigger asthma attacks.
They were unsure whether she would suffer long term damage as she was unable to keep her eyelids open for long.
She was discharged the next day and further checks have revealed her eyes are recovering.
Parents have been warned about young children regularly mistaking the washing detergents for sweets with one child a day needing treatment after coming into contact with the chemicals.
Figures from the National Poisons Information Service show that 1,486 patients were treated for detergent poisoning between May 2009 and July 2012. Nearly all were under five.
Most of the children injured had eaten or swallowed the capsules, which can cause severe internal burns and swelling.
Others, like Rainbow, are hurt after the chemicals are rubbed or squirted into their eyes.
Last year, Jenny Maher, 17 months was left fighting for her life after putting one in her mouth.
It was in her mouth for less than one second but she was still forced to spend one week in an induced coma after swallowing half the liquid inside.
Her quick thinking mother rushed her to hospital in Co Louth, Ireland, and the toddler went onto make a full recovery.
In the most recent case, Rainbow’s parents posted graphic pictures of her injuries on Facebook to warn others.
Rainbow’s left cornea was badly damaged but the toddler is expected to make a full recovery, doctors said
‘What I’ve learned – the hard way – is that child locks are not 100 per cent effective,’ she said.
‘I would urge parents to move all their dangerous products completely out of reach, no matter how old their children. I thought mine were safe, but clearly they weren’t.
‘Also, I would advise parents in a situation like this to basically act as quickly as possible when contact with the substance occurs.
‘The key things to do are not panic and stay as calm as possible. Ring 999 if you have no idea what to do.
‘Some parents freeze or panic and immediate action is key for flushing these toxins out of the body.’