Pool Chemical Injuries in Public and Residential Settings — United States, 2008–2017, and New York, 2018

Details

• Journal Article:
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Personal Author:
  Vanden Esschert, Kayla L. ; Haileyesus, Tadesse ; Tarrier, Amanda L. ; Donovan, Michelle A. ; Garofalo, Gary T. ; Laco, Joseph P. ; Hill, Vincent R. ; Hlavsa, Michele C.
• Description:
  Pool chemicals are added to water in treated recreational water venues (e.g., pools, hot tubs/spas, and water playgrounds) primarily to protect public health. Pool chemicals inactivate pathogens (e.g., chlorine or bromine), optimize pH (e.g., muriatic acid), and increase water clarity, which helps prevent drowning by enabling detection of distressed swimmers underwater. However, pool chemicals can cause injuries if mishandled. To estimate the annual number of U.S. emergency department (ED) visits for pool chemical injuries, CDC analyzed 2008-2017 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), operated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). During 2015-2017, pool chemical injuries led to an estimated 13,508 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 9,087-17,929) U.S. ED visits; 36.4% (estimated 4,917 [95% CI = 3,022-6,811]) of patients were aged <18 years. At least 56.3% (estimated 7,601 [95% CI = 4,587-10,615]) of injuries occurred at a residence. Two thirds of the injuries occurred during the period from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. This report also describes a toxic chlorine gas incident that occurred at a public pool in New York in 2018. Pool chemical injuries are preventable. CDC's Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) is an important resource that operators of public treated recreational water venues (e.g., at hotels, apartment complexes, and waterparks) can use to prevent pool chemical injuries.
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Adult Aged Bromine Child Child, Preschool Chlorides Emergency Service, Hospital Female Full Report Humans Hydrochloric Acid Infant Infant, Newborn Male Middle Aged Population Surveillance Seasons Swimming Pools Wounds And Injuries Young Adult

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• Source:
  MMWR Morbidity Mortal Weekly Rep. 68(19):433-438
• Series:
  Weekly Report: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• DOI:
  http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6819a2
• ISSN:
  0149-2195 (print) ; 1545-861X (digital)
• Pubmed ID:
  31095536
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC6522081
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  New York ; United States
• Pages in Document:
  6 pdf pages
• Volume:
  68
• Issue:
  19
• Collection(s):
  Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:012bf3ec6d43f1473cdf4685457af8dad6b75c121e7b8d788bd2fc535d7f17d860a1ee7f23d526046ee9738350c27ef4e1b9d63d622b29e3ce8c08d076780d34
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/78839/cdc_78839_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 264.31 KB ]