WASHINGTON, May 26, 2000 -- Memorial Day weekend is the time many families open their home pools for the summer. Pool owners, especially those with young children and grandchildren, should always keep in mind the deadly hazards a pool can pose.
About 350 children under 5 years old drown in pools each year nationwide and 2,600 are treated in hospital emergency rooms for near-drowning incidents. Most of the cases involve residential pools.
To prevent this tragedy, many pool owners use pool alarms designed to sound a warning if a child falls into the water. Sales of pool alarms have doubled since 1994. A study released today by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) tested the performance of various pool alarm systems.
The CPSC study looked at three types of alarms: floating alarms that detect waves on the surface; underwater alarms that detect waves under the surface; and a wristband alarm, which is worn by a child, and alarms when exposed to water.
CPSC's tests showed that underwater alarms performed the most consistently (with one surface alarm - PoolSOS - performing almost as well). Underwater sensors worked more consistently and were less likely to set off false alarms. When a test object, intended to simulate the weight of a small child, was pushed into a pool, the underwater sensors detected it most reliably.
The underwater alarms also can be used in conjunction with pool covers, whereas the surface alarms cannot. The wristband device worked well but can be impractical because the caregiver must remember to put it on the child, and it also responds when exposed to any water source, such as tap water.
| Pool Alarms that Performed Well in the CPSC Tests | |
| Underwater Alarms | Floating/Surface Alarm |
| Poolguard - PBM Industries | PoolSOS - Allweather Inc. |
| Sentinel LINK - Lambo Products Inc. | |
"Pool alarms can be used as an extra safeguard, but should never be relied upon as the only line of defense in preventing a child from drowning in your pool," said CPSC Chairman Ann Brown. "The keys to preventing these tragedies are placing barriers around your pool, closely supervising your child and being prepared in case of an emergency."