CPSC Announces New Report on Child Drownings, Near-Drownings
With Memorial Day here, pools across the country are opening. A new report was recently released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that provides updated figures on child drowning deaths and injuries in pools and spas. CPSC's latest data reveals that nearly 300 children younger than 5 drown in pools and spas each year, and about 3,000 suffer pool or spa-related injuries requiring attention at hospital emergency rooms.
About two-thirds of the pool and spa-related deaths and injuries involve children ages 1-2, with about 80 percent of the drowning fatalities occurring in residential settings, such as the victim’s home, a family or friend's house or at a neighbor's residence.
New data from CPSC also shows that from 1999 through 2008, there were 83 reports of pool and spa entrapments, including 11 deaths and 69 injuries. Since 1999, 14 percent of the reported suction/entrapment incidents at pools or spas were fatal.
CPSC is also announcing the launch of a new Web site, www.PoolSafety.gov, which serves as a valuable source for information about drowning prevention. The new site provides information for the general public, the swimming pool and spa community, state and local officials, and the media.