9 Child Deaths Sparked a Massive Nationwide Recall of This Summer Item
Don’t let your kid go swimming again until you check to see if this massive nationwide recall applies to you.
Approximately 5 million of a popular summer item — which many of us have in our backyards — was recalled after the deaths of nine children. The item in question: 48-inch and taller above-ground pools that use compression straps.
The compression straps wrap around supporting poles on the outside of the pool, which can create a foothold. So even if the ladder is removed from the pool, curious kids can still climb the pool and fall inside. This exact scenario has happened several times, leading to the drowning death of nine children ages 22 months to 3 years in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Missouri between 2007 and 2022.
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Example of child using the compression strap to stand on above-ground pool, illustrating the hazard involved. (Credit: USCPSC)
USCPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) mentioned three other incidents where children gained access to the recalled pools using the compression strap.
The recalled pools were made by Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup and sold since 2002 at nationwide locations of Walmart, Target, Sears, Lowe’s, Kmart, Toys “R” Us, Sam’s Club, The Home Depot, Big Lots, Costco, and BJ’s, as well as online at Amazon.com, Wayfair.com, Bestway USA, Intex, Funsicle, and Summer Waves and ranged from $400 to over $1,000.
If you own one of these pools, contact Bestway, Intex, or Polygroup for a repair kit. They will send you a rope that attaches to the vertical support poles at the ground level and wraps around the pool. Once you secure the structural integrity of the pool by this ground rope, you can cut and remove the compression strap. In the meantime, make sure your children can’t access your pool unattended or drain the pool until you can install the repair.
Drowning can happen at any age (and even teens are at high risk). Dr. Ben Hoffman, chair of the AAP’s Council on Injury Violence and Poison Prevention, previously told SheKnows, “Seventy percent of drownings happen when it’s not time to swim, so the level of supervision is lacking. A child can drown in 20-30 seconds — roughly the time it takes to open a bag of chips.”
Dr. Hoffman recommends putting up multiple barriers to prevent children from reaching the pool by themselves and emptying anything that contains water when not in use.
See a full list of the recalled pools HERE.
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