Summer can be a great time for family fun at the pool. However, this season also sees a great number of pool-related injuries. This includes injuries involving chemical exposures.
A range of chemicals are used to keep public and private pools safe. Unfortunately, when mishaps occur involving these chemicals, they can create their own serious safety problems.
According to a recent CDC report, the U.S. saw an average of over 4,500 pool chemical-related injuries per year between 2008 and 2017 (with a large majority of them occurring between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day).
Of those injuries, over a third involved children or teens. What can you do to protect your kids from this safety hazard?
Home pool safety measures
Home pools are a common site of chemical exposures. According to the CDC report, they are where over 56 percent of pool-related chemical injuries. If you have a pool at home, you can take steps to protect your children’s safety from chemical exposure:
- Keep pool chemicals stored in a place your children can’t access them
- Exercise care when using and handling such chemicals
- Never mix chemicals
General safety tips
Of course, home pools are far from the only place kids can swim during the summer. Whatever pools your kids use, the following safety tips can be helpful:
- Make sure your children shower before going into the pool. There are a range of things that can get on a person’s skin that might react poorly with pool chemicals.
- Watch vigilantly. Keep an eye out for anything that looks off about the pool or how the people attending to it have been behaving when it comes to pool chemicals.
- Play it safe. If you spot red flags or other things that worry you, consider looking for another pool option for your kids.
We wish every family a safe summer pool season!