Low-cost pools can pose big hazards for youngsters

Each year, an average of 385 children younger than 15 drown in a pool or spa in the U.S., according to recent Consumer Product Safety Commission data.  Most of them—299—are children younger than five.  In addition, there are an estimated 4,200 pool- or spa-related submersions or near-drowning incidents that require emergency-room treatment. Most accidents occur in home pools or spas. 

In anticipation of the swimming season, the CPSC and the American Academy of Pediatrics have issued their annual pool-safety tips.  We'd like to add one to the list: Don't buy an inflatable pool unless you plan to empty it immediately after each use.

Large inflatable pools can hold thousands of gallons of water and often lack the surrounding layers of protection—gates, fences, removable ladders—required to enhance pool safety. In addition, the soft sides make it all too easy for a curious toddler to topple in.

According to Carol Pollack Nelson, an independent safety consultant who closely follows the safety of inflatable pools, 209 drowning incidents associated with inflatable pools were reported to the CPSC from 2001 through 2009. The majority (94 percent) involved children younger than five.
 
The problem is often related to the lack of barriers around the pool. According to the AAP, most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall in.  Consumers who pay only $75 for a large inflatable pool are not apt to spend ten times that amount on a proper fence to surround it.  And there are no reliable pool alarms or safety covers for inflatable pools.  Most municipalities require fences around swimming pools, but when set up in the back yard, inflatable pools can go unseen by enforcement agents.

All in all, a bad way to stay cool.

--Don Mays