[Patty:] Welcome to CPSC’s Podcast for Friday, October 5, 2007. I’m Patty Davis.

When pools close for the summer, parents think the threat of drowning is over, but CPSC wants parents to know that drownings happen all year long and that infants and toddlers are still at risk.

Joining me to talk about the danger of in home drowning is CPSC’s Ed Kang. Welcome Ed.

[Ed:] Hi Patty.

[Patty:] Ed, how common are in home drownings?

[Ed:] Patty, on average, over 100 kids die every year in the home, in bathtubs, hot tubs, even things like buckets, pails and decorative fountains. Anything that holds water is a potential drowning hazard.

[Patty:] What age is most at risk?

[Ed:] Kids really, especially the most vulnerable ones--the ones under 2 years of age-- are the most at risk. The reports we have indicate that while pool drownings are spread out across age groups, non-pool drownings are concentrated to kids under 2. In fact, over 80 percent of non-pool drowning deaths occur to kids under 2 years of age.

[Patty:] How does this happen?

[Ed:] Patty, there’s a lot of reasons, but the key thing is that parents just don't see bathtubs as a threat. Toilets, water containers --they just don’t see it as a danger. Patty, you’d never allow a one year old child go to the pool unsupervised would you? And yet parents will leave their child in the tub to run an errand. It might be to answer the phone, or to get the person who’s knocking at the door, or to grab a towel. But whatever the reason, those few seconds are enough for a small child to drown in the bathtub.

[Patty:] So the key point when it comes to tubs is you never want to leave your young child in a tub even with the smallest amount of water.

[Ed:] And it goes beyond that. We've seen reports of drowning even with the drain unplugged but with the water running. We've also seen it where children turn on the water themselves and drown. A parent just can’t be vigilant enough in making sure their kids are safe - and never trust an older sibling in the tub to supervise a younger sibling.

[Patty:] So keep your kids safe and think of any water anywhere as a hazard?

[Ed:] That's right. Keep your precious children in arms reach at all times Patty.

[Patty:] Thanks Ed. That’s it for this week’s podcast. Thanks for listening.

End.