More than 5.2 million swimming pools sold in the U.S. and Canada were recalled after the reported drowning deaths of 9 children.
The recall covers a variety of Bestway, Intex Recreation and Polygroup pools that were sold at retailers like Walmart, Target, Sears, Lowe’s, Kmart, Toys “R” Us, Sam’s Club, The Home Depot, Big Lots, Costco and BJ’s, and online at Amazon, Wayfair and Bestway USA, Intex, Funsicle and Summer Waves websites.
The pools are 48 inches or taller. The most-recent recalled products were sold earlier this year. They cost approximately $400 to over $1,000.
According to notices published by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, the affected pools have compression straps around the exterior that allow children to climb up and into the pool while unattended without a ladder.
The CPSC said it believes 9 children between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old drowned in the U.S. between 2007 and 2022. The incidents occurred in California, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Wisconsin and Missouri. The agency said there were a number of other incidents reported that did not result in deaths.
No fatalities were reported in Canada, where only about 250,000 of the pools were sold.
Consumers are advised to contact the manufacturer to receive a free repair kit, which includes a rope to replace the compression strap, and consider draining the pool until the repair is made.