Drowning in pools remains high for children: report

Fort Lauderdale, FL – From 2007 to 2009, an annual average of 390 pool and spa-related drownings were reported for children younger than 15, and roughly 75 percent of the reported deaths involved children younger than 5, according to data (.pdf file) from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

CPSC estimated an annual average of 5,200 pool or spa-related emergency department-treated submersion injuries for children younger than 15 from 2009 to 2011.

CPSC also found:

• The majority of pool and spa incidents involving children younger than 5 occurred at residential locations.
• From 2009 to 2011, children between 1 and 3 years old represented 66 percent of pool- and spa-related injuries.
• About 10 percent of reported fatalities of children younger than 15 occurred in portable pools.