WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), under the leadership of Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman, convened a national roundtable this week to examine strategies for reducing childhood drowning deaths and injuries. The discussion brought together leading advocates, standards developers, industry representatives, researchers, and other stakeholders to identify practical, evidence-based approaches to reduce childhood drowning.
Participants included former CPSC Commissioner Doug Dziak, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL), representatives from the YMCA, Airbnb, the Pool & Hot Tub Alliance, Abbey's Hope, the International Code Council, the ZAC Foundation, safety expert Alan Korn, and independent researcher Carol Pollack-Nelson.
Drowning remains the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and the second-leading cause of unintentional injury and death among children overall. Acting Chairman Feldman convened the roundtable to assess the effectiveness of current drowning prevention efforts, identify gaps, and explore opportunities to reverse these tragic trends.
"Today's conversation is not the end of this effort. It is the beginning," said Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman.
"Childhood drowning demands renewed attention, fresh thinking, and an unwavering commitment to results. We heard valuable ideas about engineering solutions, public education, product safety, partnerships, voluntary standards, and emerging technologies. We also identified important gaps that deserve continued attention."
Throughout the discussion, participants emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration across government, industry, nonprofits, and standards organizations. Topics included engineering controls, public education, data-driven messaging, and opportunities to better engage pediatricians in communicating water safety and drowning prevention to families.
The roundtable is part of CPSC's broader effort to strengthen drowning prevention and improve outcomes for children and families nationwide.
Read Acting Chairman Peter A. Feldman's opening remarks.
Watch the National Roundtable on Reversing Childhood Drowning Trends.
About the U.S. CPSC
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risk of injury associated with the use of thousands of types of consumer products. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product-related incidents cost the nation more than $1 trillion annually. Since the CPSC was established more than 50 years ago, it has worked to ensure the safety of consumer products, which has contributed to a decline in injuries associated with these products.
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