Around five million above-ground swimming pools have been recalled after deaths of nine children were reported related to compression straps that allowed a child to access the pool.
On Monday, July 21, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Bestway (Hong Kong), International Ltd. (China), Bestway (USA) Inc. (Chandler, Arizona), Intex Recreation Corp. (Long Beach, California), and Polygroup North America Inc. (El Paso, Texas) announced that they are pulling out their pools with 48 inches or more in height from the shelves.
This is because these specific pools are equipped with compression straps that serve as footholds, allowing small children to climb into the water unattended.
Nine children who died due to such pools were aged between 22 months and three years old, the CPSC noted. The deaths occurred over the span of almost two decades in California, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, and Missouri between 2007 and 2022.
Families with one of the affected pools have been requested to contact the manufacturer for a free repair kit, which includes a rope that attaches to each of the vertical support poles and wraps around the pool.
The rope will "maintain the structural integrity of the pool" instead of the compression strap, which should be cut and removed.
Notably, every year in the US, there are over 4,000 unintentional drowning deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
More children from the age of one to four die from drowning than from any other cause of death.
