Recall of Ground Swimming Pools in North America
NEW YORK – More than 5.2 million above-ground swimming pools sold in the US and Canada have been recalled after reports of nine fatalities.
This recall affects various models from Bestway, Intex Recreation, and Polygroup, which have been sold by major retailers since 2002.
According to a notice from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada, these pools feature compression straps along the outer edges.
The safety warnings indicate that these pools could pose a significant risk of drowning. So far, the CPSC has linked nine child fatalities in the US to these pools, with incidents occurring between 2007 and 2022, involving children aged between 22 months and 3 years.
No deaths have been reported in Canada related to this issue.
Consumers who have these pools can soon reach out to Bestway, Intex, or Polygroup to obtain a free repair kit, which will include replacement ropes for the defective straps.
Pool owners are advised to ensure that young children cannot access the pool without supervision and to drain the pools until repairs are made.
All recalled pools are under 48 inches tall and can be identified by brand and model names available on the CPSC and Health Canada websites.
Sales of these pools date back to 2002, and recently, an estimated 5 million were sold across the US, both through online and physical retailers like Walmart, Target, Lowe’s, Costco, and Amazon. An additional 266,000 units were sold in Canada.
