--- description: It appears that Sen. Chuck Schumer may have predicted the Tide Pod Challenge that is currently sweeping the Internet way back in 2012. title: Chuck Schumer Predicted the Tide Pod Phenomenon Back in 2012 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8fcfbeeab7b3994a/6988f8e1929fad6400bef4b8/chuck-schumer-tide-pods.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Chuck Schumer Totally Predicted the Tide Pod Phenomenon Way Back in 2012  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jan 19, 2018 10:11 PM CUT  Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks to members of the media after a Senate Democratic Policy Luncheon January 17, 2018 at the Capitol in Washington, DC. Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks to members of the media after a Senate Democratic Policy Luncheon January 17, 2018 at the Capitol in Washington, DC.Alex Wong/Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Staff Writer Jan 19, 2018 10:11 PM CUT It appears that [Sen. Chuck Schumer](http://time.com/5110182/donald-trump-chuck-schumer-white-house-government-shutdown/ "undefined") may have predicted the so-called [Tide Pod Challenge](http://time.com/5104225/tide-pod-challenge/ "undefined") that is currently sweeping the Internet way back in 2012. According to a report from the [_New York Daily News_](http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/schumer-newfangled-detergent-pods-candy-article-1.1155442 "undefined"), the Senate Democratic leader held a September 2012 press conference to warn of the risks associated with the colorful appearance of the detergent capsules. “The incidents are skyrocketing,” he said. “These pods were supposed to make household chores easier, not tempt our children to swallow harmful chemicals. I saw one on my staffer’s desk and I wanted to eat it.” But while Schumer was worried about young children, it’s teenagers who are currently the focus of Tide Pod concern. The challenge may have begun as a joke on social media, but it has [reportedly](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tide-pod-challenge-ingesting-detergent-risks/ "undefined") inspired some teens to actually eat the potentially deadly packets. In fact, there were 39 reports of teens intentionally misusing laundry pods in the first 15 days of 2018 alone, according to data from the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5110606/chuck-schumer-tide-pod-challenge/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5110606/chuck-schumer-tide-pod-challenge/"},"headline":"Chuck Schumer Totally Predicted the Tide Pod Phenomenon Way Back in 2012","datePublished":"2018-01-19T22:11:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:49:55.597Z","description":"\"I saw one on my staffer's desk and I wanted to eat it\"","url":"https://time.com/5110606/chuck-schumer-tide-pod-challenge/","keywords":["Newsfeed","viral","Bizarre","chuck schumer","Weird News"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8fcfbeeab7b3994a/6988f8e1929fad6400bef4b8/chuck-schumer-tide-pods.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt8fcfbeeab7b3994a/6988f8e1929fad6400bef4b8/chuck-schumer-tide-pods.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Chuck-Schumer-Predicted-Tide-Pods","caption":"Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks to members of the media after a Senate Democratic Policy Luncheon January 17, 2018 at the Capitol in Washington, DC.","creditText":"Alex Wong/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5110606/chuck-schumer-tide-pod-challenge/","name":"Chuck Schumer Totally Predicted the Tide Pod Phenomenon Way Back in 2012"}}]}] ```