WASHINGTON — Before opening that backyard pool, parents should be aware that more young children suffer from submersion injuries or deaths in residential pools than they do in public ones.
A report released Thursday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission focused on submersion injuries and deaths from pool and spa incidents in children younger than 5.
It found that nearly 80 percent of the drownings in 2004 to 2006 occurred in residential settings, such as at the child’s own home or a family member’s or neighbor’s house. A minority happened at public or business pools. About 64 percent of the estimated injuries treated in emergency rooms for 2006 to 2008 also occurred in a residential setting.
About 300 pool- and spa-related deaths were reported each year from 2004 to 2006 in children younger than 5. The report estimated on average 3,100 pool- and spa-related submersion injuries treated in emergency departments each year between 2006 and 2008. Most injuries and deaths in these time periods involved pools.
The most common cause of reported deaths in children under 5 was an adult losing contact or knowledge of the child’s location, during which time the child accessed the pool or spa.
