5 million pools were recalled after drownings
About five million pools were recalled in the U.S. and Canada after at least nine children died from drowning incidents
Consumer Product Safety Commission
About five million above-ground pools sold since 2002 were recalled Monday after at least nine child drowning deaths were reported.
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The Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup 48-inches and taller above-ground recalled pools — which were sold at retailers in the U.S. and Canada — use compression straps that pose a drowning risk, according to a release from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
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The compression straps along the outside of the pool’s legs “may create a foothold, allowing a child to access the pool and drown. Children can still gain access to the pools using these footholds even if the ladder is removed,” the release said.
CPSC said it believes nine kids between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old drowned from this hazard between 2007 and 2022 in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Missouri, plus three other incident reports in 2011 and 2012 where kids used the straps to get into the pools. Health Canada said there haven’t been any reported drowning incidents or injuries in the country as of July 17.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for kids aged 1 to 4 in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Another recent CPSC report found that an average of 357 children under the age of 15 died from drowning in a pool or spa every year from 2020 to 2022, with those aged 1 to 3 years old accounting for 68% of the deaths.
Findings also showed that from 2022 to 2024, of the 6,300 children under 15 years old treated by emergency departments every year for non-fatal drownings, 73% were under the age of five.
The safety commission said consumers with recalled pools should contact the company they purchased it from to get a free repair kit that includes a rope to be used on the legs of the pool.
“Consumers should first secure the repair and then cut and remove the compression strap from the pool,” the release said.
It added that while customers wait for a repair kit, they should drain the pool or “ensure that children cannot access the pool unattended.”