Portable and inflatable pools can pose risks to children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that between 2004 and 2006, 47 drowning deaths occurred that involved inflatable pools.
Since small inflatable and portable pools are usually soft-sided, a child leaning onto the side of the pool could easily tumble head first into the pool and be unable to right himself up.
Although portable and inflatable pools carry warning labels, the focus of these labels is to warn against diving into the pools and tripping over pool attachments, rather than on the serious drowning hazard that they pose to children.
It is also important to remember to dump the water out of an inflatable or portable pool when you are finished using it. In addition to preventing a child from falling into it, dumping the water can help prevent West Nile virus.
For more information about pool safety, visit the Westchester.gov website by clicking here.