Portable pools pose safety hazard for children
Portable pools, a staple in the summer in many back yards, may be fun for kids. But they can also be trouble.
Every five days a child drowns in one of these pools in the United States, according to a study by the Center for Injury Research and Policy at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
Most cases involved kids under age 5 and three quarters involved pools in the kids’ own yards, according to the study released online and scheduled to appear in the July 2011 print issue of Pediatrics.
“Because portable pools are generally small, inexpensive and easy to use, parents often do not think about the potential dangers these pools present,” Dr. Gary Smith, senior author of the study and director of the center, said in a statement. “It only takes a couple of minutes and a few inches of water for a child to drown. It is important for parents to realize that portable pools can be just as dangerous as in-ground pools.”
More than 40 percent of the kids were being supervised by an adult. In 18 percent of the cases, it was just a brief distraction such as a phone call that allowed an accident.
The study authors suggested multiple layers of protection including keeping kids from the pool without supervision and being prepared with there is a submersion. They noted that some tools are expensive or not available such as fencing, safety covers, lockable or removable ladders and pool alarms. They called on manufacturers to produce better safety mechanisms just for portable pools.
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