Water

Drowning is a quick and silent killer.  In the time it takes to …

…cross the room for a towel (10 seconds), a child in the bathtub can become submerged. 

…answer the phone (2 minutes), that child can lose consciousness. 

…sign for a package at your front door (4 to 6 minutes), a child submerged in the bathtub or pool can sustain permanent brain damage.

Despite a 40 percent decline since 1987, drowning is still the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death to children ages 1 to 14, taking more than 900 children’s lives each year. For every child who drowns, four more are hospitalized for near-drowning; for every hospital admission, approximately four children are treated in hospital emergency rooms. 

Knowledge is a powerful tool for combating these tragedies. Knowing how and where children drown, as well as the concrete steps you can take to avoid danger, may make a life-and-death difference for your family. To learn more, explore the links below.

To learn more about childhood drowning read Clear Danger: A National Study of Childhood Drowning and Related Attitudes and Behaviors (April 2004).

To purchase educational materials about water safety, check out our Resource Catalog (off-site link).