Pool Chemical Injuries Led to ~13,500 ED Visits in 2015-2017

Pool chemical injuries led to an estimated 13,508 U.S. emergency department visits during 2015 to 2017, and about one-third of these injuries occurred in children, according to research published in the May 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Kayla L. Vanden Esschert, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues estimated the annual number of U.S. emergency department visits for pool chemical injuries using 2008 to 2017 data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

The researchers note that pool chemical injuries led to an estimated 13,508 U.S. emergency department visits in 2015 to 2017; 36.4 percent occurred among patients aged <18 years. An estimated 5,245 patients had their injury diagnosed as poisoning. Of the injuries, at least 56.3 percent occurred at a residence. About two-thirds of the injuries (64.5 percent) occurred from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Patients were most often injured when inhaling chemical fumes or dust, when pool chemicals were not secured away from children, or when pool chemicals were added to the water just before patients entered.

"The magnitude of U.S. emergency department visits for pool chemical injuries, the disproportionate impact on children, and the incidence of these injuries at residences all call for increased awareness about pool chemical safety among operators of public venues and owners of residential venues," the authors write.

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