Report says more kids drowning in pools, spas

A month before summer begins, a government report shows an increase in the number of children who drown in pools and spas.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated 319 children under age 5 died in pool and spa incidents in 2005, the latest year for which the agency had death certificate details from coroners and medical examiners. That is 74 more deaths than in the year before, according to the report released Wednesday.

Children between age 1 and 2 account for the majority of deaths, and drowning occurred most often when children were in the water without an adult's knowledge.

The report also showed that fewer children were treated in emergency rooms for pool and spa injuries. About 2,200 children went to the hospital for such injuries in 2007, compared with 3,900 in 2006.

Deaths and injuries also resulted when a drain's suction pulls down a child's body or a limb or hair becomes entangled in the drain. The report comes five months after President Bush signed into law a ban on the manufacture, sale or distribution of drain covers that don't meet anti-entrapment safety standards.

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Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov