寶潔公司表示，兩項研究有信心提供足夠的證據(jù)證明,，外觀并不是凝珠導(dǎo)致傷害的因素,。紐約大學(xué)醫(yī)學(xué)院醫(yī)學(xué)倫理學(xué)部的創(chuàng)始負責(zé)人阿瑟·卡普蘭并不同意。卡普蘭說,，制造商必須“利用最先進的科學(xué)”提升產(chǎn)品的安全性,，像寶潔一樣僅依賴數(shù)據(jù)集合是不夠的。凱普蘭認為,，寶潔還應(yīng)該檢查“其他具有同樣問題的產(chǎn)品數(shù)據(jù)”,。

健康專家說，為了證明或反駁相關(guān)聯(lián)系,，寶潔要研究凝珠的氣味,、手感和外觀，包括汰漬凝珠彩色漩渦狀設(shè)計對脆弱人群的吸引力,。舉例來說,，“應(yīng)該做個隨機對照試驗，改變凝珠的設(shè)計,，然后觀察反應(yīng),。”如此一來才能確定哪些因素會吸引幼兒,，兒童心理學(xué)家布魯索尼說,。“但在我看來,，有什么必要測試呢,？本來就是成年人洗衣服用的，設(shè)計得花花綠綠做什么,？”

目前,，各家制造商都沒有計劃做相關(guān)研究。瓊斯對布魯索尼描述研究的前提提出了質(zhì)疑,。寶潔公司的瓊斯說：“我們不會把兩個凝珠放在孩子面前,，然后說‘抓一個’，這不是現(xiàn)實生活中會遇到的情況,?！睂殱嵟c《財富》雜志對話時強調(diào)，加強包裝的安全性并教育監(jiān)護人安全使用凝珠,，才是最重要的安全措施,，而不是改變凝珠的設(shè)計。旗下有寶瑩和All洗衣品牌的德國漢高拒絕討論可能采取的安全改進,，但表示行為符合當前的自愿標準,。Church&Dwight旗下品牌包括OxiClean和Arm&Hammer，并未回應(yīng)《財富》雜志的置評請求,。

2012年至2017年間,，文森特·威爾在寶潔開發(fā)汰漬凝珠過程中主導(dǎo)設(shè)計創(chuàng)新,，目前在一家非競爭對手公司工作。他告訴《財富》雜志,，自己曾經(jīng)參與提升凝珠安全性的項目,，他離開公司后也一直在持續(xù)，其中包括研究洗衣液新配方以降低毒性,，加強包裝使之更難破裂或泄漏等等,。

寶潔拒絕就威爾描述的項目或其他可能的變化發(fā)表評論。瓊斯則表示,，寶潔一直在努力提升凝珠的安全性,，是“持續(xù)的過程”。

P&G says it’s confident that these two studies offer sufficient evidence that appearance isn’t a factor in pod-related injuries. Arthur Caplan, founding head of the Division of Medical Ethics at NYU School of Medicine, disagrees. Caplan says that manufacturers have to “use the best science” to make their products safer, and that relying on one data set, as P&G appears to have done, is not a sufficient approach. The company, Caplan says, should also examine “data from other products that bears on this question.”

To prove or disprove a connection, health professionals say, P&G would need to study how pods’ smell, feel, and appearance—including Tide Pods’ multicolored swirls—appealed to vulnerable populations. For example, “you would need to do a randomized controlled trial, varying pod designs and monitoring reactions to them” to know for sure which factors attract young kids, says Brussoni, the child psychologist. “But to my mind, why bother? Why have these colors anyway for a product for an adult that’s doing laundry?”

For now, such research doesn’t appear to be in the cards—for any manufacturer. Jones disputes the premise of studies like those described by Brussoni. “We don’t put two different pods in front of a kid,” P&G’s Jones says, “and say, ‘Grab one.’ It’s not a real-life situation.” Rather than changing the pod design, P&G has stressed in its conversations with Fortune that making packaging more secure and educating caregivers about safe use are the most important measures it can take to improve safety. Henkel, whose laundry detergent brands include Persil and All, declined to discuss possible safety improvements but said it was compliant with the current voluntary standard. Church & Dwight, whose brands include OxiClean and Arm & Hammer, did not respond to Fortune’s requests for comment.

Vincent Weill, who led P&G’s efforts to incorporate design innovations into the Tide Pods product between 2012 and 2017, and who now works at a company that is not a competitor, tells Fortune that he was involved with projects to make pods safer that have continued since he left the company. Among them were reformulating the liquid to be less toxic and strengthening the packets to be more resistant to bursting or leaking.

P&G declined to comment on the projects described by Weill or any other specific possible changes. Jones describes the company’s effort to make pods safer as an “ongoing journey” of continual improvements.