Millions of above-ground pools recalled due to toddler drownings in California, elsewhere

About 5 million above-ground swimming pools — a summer staple in many yards across Southern California — have been recalled due to toddler drowning risk, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and manufacturers announced Monday.

The recall follows the drowning deaths of nine children between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old after they gained access to the pools via compression straps that created footholds. The incidents, which occurred between 2007 and 2022, took place in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri, according to a commission press release.

The toddlers entered the water by climbing onto compression straps that wrap around the outside of the pool’s supporting poles. Even when the pool’s ladder was removed for safety by concerned parents, the children were still able to enter the pool and drown.

Drowning is the leading cause of death for young children from ages 1 to 4. About 87% of these deaths occur in home pools or hot tubs, and most occur in pools owned by family, friends or relatives. A quarter of pool drowning deaths among young children occurred in above-ground pools, according to the product safety commission.

About 4,000 drowning deaths of all people occur each year in the U.S. — an average of 11 deaths per day.

Most instructions included with above-ground pools tell consumers to remove the ladder when the pool is not in use to prevent children from getting in.

But this gives parents a “false sense of security, as young children are still able to climb into the pool using exterior features such as the support straps,” said Dennis Brickman, an engineering and safety design consultant with ESi, a national engineering consulting firm, who has published studies on above-ground pool safety.

As part of his research, Brickman placed a pool without water in his lab and brought in children from 20 to 45 months old to test their ability to climb into the pool in various conditions. His team observed the children as they used the support strap as a foothold to climb into the pool.

Brickman said that affordable alternatives are available to manufacturers, but that many have continued to use the risky straps. While the recall affects pools that have already been sold, manufacturers may continue to make and sell new pools that use the dangerous support straps.

“Above-ground pools have the same risk as any other pool,” said Dr. Phyllis Agran, a pediatrics professor emeritus at the UCI School of Medicine and member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Injury, Violence and Prevention. “The primary prevention is to have an isolation fence around the pool” that includes a self-latching, self-closing gate” — even if the structure is temporary.

Agran said above-ground pools also carry additional risks, including the ladder and the fact that parents may not be able to see that a child has climbed inside because of the high walls.

A recent petition to the consumer protection agency requests that it create a mandatory regulation requiring manufacturers to make the ladders on above-ground and portable pools “child-resistant.” The American Academy of Pediatrics submitted a letter of support for the petition, recommending that the agency require ladder designs such as step covers or an engineering control that allows the ladder to be raised out of reach while the pool is not in use.

“Toddlers are inquisitive and explore the environment around them,” Dr. Susan J. Kressly, president of the pediatric academy, wrote in the letter. “However, they lack the cognitive ability to recognize hazards, and it is important to protect infants and children from unsafe consumer products by establishing regulations for such products, like above-ground and portable pool ladders.”

The recall applies to 48-inch-high and taller above-ground pools with compression straps running on the outside and vertical support legs sold by manufacturers Bestway, Intex, and Polygroup. Consumers should immediately contact the company to receive a repair kit, which contains a rope that attaches to the vertical support polls at the ground level and wraps around the pool, maintaining the structural integrity of the pool. After securing the rope, consumers can then cut and remove the compression straps from the pool, the product safety commission said.

The pools — which cost between $400 to over $1,000 — have been sold nationwide since 2002 at stores including Walmart, Target, Sears, Lowe’s, Kmart, Toys “R” Us, Sam’s Club, Home Depot, Big Lots, Costco and BJ’s. They were also sold online at Amazon.com, Wayfair.com and the Bestway USA, Intex, Funsicle and Summer Waves websites.

The recalled pools include:

Bestway and Coleman, sold 2008-2024

Intex Models, sold 2002-2012

Intex Models, sold only at Intexcorp.com and Walmart, 2024 to 2025

Polygroup Models, sold 2006 to 2025

• Summer Escapes (2006-2015)

Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.