Is tap water safer than bottled?

Score one for the green movement. For years as sales of bottled water climbed, environmental groups said it was likely less safe than tap water even without taking into consideration the impact on the enviroment. This week the government agreed. A study released by the General Accounting Office said that bottled water undergoes less scrutiny than tap water, which must meet a tougher safety standard. The GAO study found that the regulation of bottled water (under the Food and Drug Administration's Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act) is less strict than the Environmental Protection Agency's regulation of tap water (under the Safe Drinking Water Act).

This news came during a House subcommittee hearing in which John Stephenson of the GAO told the House panel that when it comes to water, the FDA lacks the regulatory authority of the EPA.

In fact, bottled water makers are not required to disclose even as much information as your local municipality. If you live in a city of 10,000 residents or more, you probably receive a copy of a water report each year. The Safe Drinking Water Act requires that public water systems test tap water for various contaminants using certified laboratories and issue a water-quality report, called the consumer-confidence report (CCR), once a year.  (For particularly toxic contaminants, the SDWA requires results to be reported within 24 hours.)  The CCR summarizes local drinking water quality, information about the water source, levels of detected contaminants, whether any of the detected contaminants exceed federal levels, as well as information on the potential health effects of certain contaminants. (If you live in a smaller town, consult the EPA's Web site.)

In contrast, bottled water manufacturers don't have to use certified laboratories nor report the results of any water quality testing to the FDA, even if the contaminants exceed federal standards. The GAO study also found that only a small percentage of the 83 bottled water labels looked at, companies contacted, or company Web sites reviewed contained information comparable to that required of tap water.

In addition, SDWA has set standards for acceptable levels of the plasticizer DEHP (a chemical widely used in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride plastics), which is an endocrine-disrupting compound banned in children's products.  The FDA, on the other hand, still has not set a standard for DEHP in bottled water.

In 2000, when Consumer Reports last tested bottled water, we found it to be safe when it met FDA standards.  There were some disturbing findings, however.  Eight of 10 five-gallon polycarbonate jugs we tested left residues of BPA, another endocrine disrupting chemical that we think should be banned from use in children's products, as some states have done.  All tested bottled water brands met the then-current EPA and FDA arsenic standard of 50 parts per billion (ppb), but two exceeded the EPA's new 10 ppb standard, effective in 2006.  We also reviewed 25 CCR reports and found that 22 of them reported some contaminants such as lead, chlorine and E. coli.  Indeed, some water samples from Boston had lead levels 45 times higher than the federal limit.

The bottom line is that bottled water is not necessarily safer than tap water.  We think that FDA should:

• Have bottled water standards as strict as the EPA's tap water standards;
• Require bottled water companies to provide the same information to consumers as required for drinking water; and
• Set a standard for DEHP.

In the meantime, we recommend that consumers get a copy of their local CCR to see what the water quality issues are in their area. (How to decipher the report.)   If you want to test your own tap water, try calling the EPA's Safe Drinking Water Hotline (800-426-4791) for the names of state-certified testing labs or for your local health authority, which might offer low- or no-cost test kits, or check the EPA's Web site for listings. 

Also testifying at the hearing was the president and CEO of the International Bottled Water Association who said that its code of practice for bottled water had testing and monitoring levels that exceeded FDA requirements. The IBWA followed up with a press release saying it was willing to work with the FDA to address the issues contained in the GAO report.  After the hearing, the House subcommittee sent letters to 13 bottled water companies requesting documents related to testing of bottled water and its sources, as well as lists of the names and locations of each company's water sources.-- Michael Hansen, Ph.D.

Pool chemicals send thousands to ER each year

It turns out that drowning isn’t the only pool hazard. A new government report from the Centers for Disease Control tallies injuries caused by pool chemicals, based on records from hospitals and poison control centers. In 2007 alone, an estimated 4,600 people went to emergency departments and another 9,500 called poison centers after being injured by pool chemicals. Most had inhaled the fumes or gotten the chemicals in their eyes.

Here’s a wonky line from the report: “Although no one data source alone elucidates completely the epidemiology of pool chemical-associated injuries, together they reveal multiple commonalities that suggest these injuries are preventable.”

Translation: Be careful. You can avoid an accident that sends you or someone else to the emergency room by using common sense and taking some precautions. Always follow the directions on the package; wear appropriate protective gear; store chemicals in a dry place; don’t mix chemicals together; and keep kids away when you’re handling any pool supplies.

The CDC has a handy pamphlet on the dangers of pool chemicals that pool owners can print out and keep with their other pool information.

Does your pool meet the new safety rules?

Here in the northeast, temperatures went from the mid 30s at night to the mid 80s during the day within the space of a week. Welcome to our part of the country. The sudden warmth and approaching Memorial Day weekend has everyone thinking “pool.” This year, that means a lot more than usual.

New regulations (the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act) governing pool drains went into effect last December to prevent entrapment from the powerful suction.  Municipalities, clubs, hotels and homeowners who are opening pools for the first time since then may be scrambling to comply.

We’ve heard there’s been some confusion about the new rules, and it’s possible that the pool you swim in is not up to code. We continue to advise that before you dive into the pool at a U.S. hotel, swim club, or apartment complex, confirm with the manager or engineer that the pool meets the new regulations. He or she should be able to tell you specifically that the drain systems conform to the new standards.

And keep in mind that while the new, safer drains reduce the risk of entrapment, drowning is still the second-leading cause of accidental death in children ages one to 14. Each year 300 children younger than age five drown in pools and spas, according to new data released today by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

So take every precaution possible to secure your own pool and keep your family safe. The CPSC has these pool safety tips:

• Employ layers of protection: Barriers, such as a fence with self-closing, self-latching gates, completely surrounding pools prevent unsupervised access.
• Beware of entrapment: Suction drains in pools and spas can cause entrapments involving hair, body parts, clothing and jewelry, which can lead to death and serious injury.  Do not allow children to play in a pool or hot tub/spa with missing or broken drain covers.
• Look in the pool first: Precious time is often wasted looking for missing children anywhere but in the pool. 
• Drowning is silent: Parents may think that if their child falls in the water, they will hear lots of splashing and screaming,  however, children can slip under the water silently. 
• Never leave a child unattended: Designate a “Water Watcher”, someone who can concentrate on kids in the water.

New pool safety law goes into effect this holiday season

If you’re hoping to escape news of the sad economy by, well, escaping, be aware that your vacation checklist should include one extra detail: Is the hotel pool up to date? New standards for swimming pools and spas go into effect in December, with the aim of preventing some of the hundreds of annual drowning deaths. Drowning is the second leading accidental cause of death in children 1 to 14.

Starting December 19 (or when the pool opens for the season), the Consumer Product Safety Commission will require all public pools to have safer drain covers or systems that reduce the chance of entrapment. This includes pools at hotels and apartment buildings, so if you’re visiting the grandparents in Florida for the holidays, their condo pool will have to be up to snuff as well.

Before you book a room at a U.S. hotel, call and ask the general manager or hotel engineer whether the pool has been brought up to code, and when. He or she should be able to tell you specifically that the drain systems conform to the new standards.

This week in safety

Food contaminated with melamine continued to be in the news this week both here and abroad. A brand of candy popular in China was found on shelves in Connecticut. In addition, California took some important safety measures and the Illlinois attorney general said the federal recall system was inadequate.

Highway group releases new ratings of child booster seats
Consumer Reports Cars blog

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released new ratings of child booster seats. The first of their kind, IIHS ranked boosters from those that performed as “best bets” to those that are “not recommended” based on the seat’s ability to correctly position a vehicle’s lap and shoulder belt for booster-age children, not on their performance in simulated crash tests. Read more ...

Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan says recalls not enough
Chicago Tribune

Illinois Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan on Wednesday urged federal safety regulators to curb the sale of secondhand products recalled for potentially deadly flaws.

Madigan's push came after her office found more than 400 recalled bassinets for sale, primarily on Craigslist. The bassinets, sold under the Simplicity, Graco and Winnie the Pooh labels, have a bad design that caused the deaths of two babies. Read more ...

California launches broad effort to control hazardous chemicals
Los Angeles Times

California on Monday launched the most comprehensive program of any state to regulate chemicals that have been linked to cancer, hormone disruption and other deadly effects on human health.

The new measures are designed to encompass 80,000 chemicals now in circulation, rather than focus narrowly, as previous bills have, on specific substances in products such as baby bottles, toys, mattresses, computers or cosmetics. State regulators are to inventory the most dangerous, widespread chemicals first and control them at the manufacturing stage, before they are handled in workplaces, incorporated into products or allowed to escape into air and water. Read more …

More tainted candy from China is found in the U.S.
New York Times

More contaminated Chinese candy was discovered in the United States on Wednesday, this time in Connecticut, where consumer protection officials issued a public warning against eating the sticky sweet.

The discovery announced Wednesday involved the White Rabbit Creamy Candy brand, which is sold in 50 countries but has already been recalled from stores in Britain and many Asian countries. Jerry Farrell Jr., Connecticut’s consumer protection commissioner, announced that contaminated candy had been found at two stores in New Haven, one in West Hartford and one in East Haven. In each case, tests found traces of an industrial additive, melamine, in the candy. Read more ...  (Previous story.)

California sues over crib, changing table warnings
San Francisco Chronicle

Some baby furniture manufacturers aren't warning consumers about the dangers of a toxic gas emanating from cribs and changing tables, according to a lawsuit announced Wednesday by the California attorney general.

Five manufacturers are violating the state's anti-toxics law by selling products containing formaldehyde at levels high enough to put infants and others at risk by breathing in the noxious gas, said the suit filed in Alameda County Superior Court. Read more ...

CPSC reminds parents of drowning dangers inside the home
Consumer Product Safety Commission

Water anywhere can be a potential drowning hazard. While pools are an obvious risk, parents should not let their guard down around other hazards such as bathtubs and buckets. The CPSC is warning parents that children need to be supervised around these common but sometimes hidden drowning dangers.
After pools, more children drown in bathtubs than in any other product in and around the home. Read more ...

Don’t miss these recalls

• 5,000 Ikea chests of drawers (laceration hazard)
• 30,000 Pottery Barn hammocks (fall and laceration hazard)
• 4,600 Viessmann U.S. Recalls Boilers (fire hazard)
• 18,000 Ski-Doo snowmobiles (axle failure)

 

Diving-related injuries on the rise as sport becomes more popular

Olympic fans enjoying the diving displays at this summer's games in Beijing may have heard the story about one competitor's accident when she was a teen in training. Ten years ago, Nancilea Foster was badly injured in a diving accident that broke her jaw, knocked out nine teeth, shattered her cheek and sinus bones and caved in part of her nose. Foster was able to recover from her injuries to compete for the U.S. in the 3-meter springboard event (placing eighth), but not all diving mishaps end so happily.

According to a new study, there were more than 111,000 diving-related injuries to people under the age of 19 that required a trip to the emergency room from 1990 through 2006. Put another way, there is one such diving-related injury somewhere in America every 90 minutes or 6,500 annually.

Collision with a diving board or platform was the leading cause of injuries (44 percent) and the odds of injury caused by contact with the diving board increased dramatically if a child or adolescent was performing a flip, handstand or backward dive. Injuries to the head and neck (38 percent) and face (22 percent) were the most common. The most frequent diagnoses were lacerations (34 percent) and soft tissue injuries (24 percent), according to the study published in the August edition of the journal Pediatrics.

“Based on our findings, the largest age group of injured divers was 10- to 14-years-old," said study co-author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, and an associate professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. “Although this group made up the largest number of injured divers, 10- to 19-years-old were more at risk for an injury to the extremities. Boys were two times more likely to experience a head or neck injury or a fracture.”

Recreational and competitive divers alike are at risk. “There is a need for increased prevention efforts to lower the risks of diving-related injuries among children and adolescents,” says Lara McKenzie, principal investigator at CIRP and a co-author of the study. “The recent growth of the sport of diving, coupled with the increasing complexity and difficulty of dives, has resulted in a greater potential for both competitive and recreational diving-related injuries.” 

“Parents, pediatricians, coaches, lifeguards and trainers need to be aware of the types of injuries seen during recreational and competitive diving, as well as the risk factors,” says McKenzie, who is also an assistant professor at The Ohio State University College of Medicine.

The study recommends these strategies for preventing diving-related injuries:

• Provide adult supervision and make sure a lifeguard is present.
• Make sure there are visible depth indicators around the pool.
• Install soft pool bottoms, if possible.
• Remove obstacles from swimming areas of lakes, rivers and oceans.
• Educate children about diving board safety.
• Educate children on proper diving techniques, especially when attempting new and unusual dives.
• Educate children to prevent them from jumping into shallow or cloudy water.
• Teach competitive divers stretching and strengthening to help prevent shoulder injuries.

The study—the first to examine recreational and competitive diving-related injuries—was based on data collected from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS), which is operated by the  Consumer Product Safety Commission and  provides information on consumer product-related and sports and recreation-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments in the United States.

More on diving safety

Swimming and diving safety tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Water safety tips from the American Red Cross.

Child's drowning leads to manslaughter charges against pool builder

In what is believed to be the first case of its kind, the president of a Connecticut pool company has been charged with manslaughter in the death of a six-year-old boy who drowned last summer after becoming entrapped by the powerful suction of filter pumps connected to pool drains.

David Lionetti, the president of Shoreline Pools of Stamford was charged with second degree manslaughter for allegedly failing to install mandatory safety devices in the pool where Zachary Cohn of nearby Greenwich drowned last July.

Under a Connecticut law adopted in 2004, new pools must have three or more anti-entrapment features included to ensure safety: an approved anti-vortex drain cover, a dual drain system in which two suction drains are located at least three feet apart to split the force of the suction, and a safety vacuum release system that cuts power to the pump when an object blocks the flow of water through the drain.

In earlier postings, we wrote about a new federal pool and spa safety measure that was signed into law in December. The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act requires that by December 19, 2008, all public pools and spas have safety drain covers, and in certain circumstances, an anti-entrapment system.

Tragically, over the past eight years there have been nine deaths and 63 injuries caused by the entrapment of people by suction from pool drains, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Broken or missing drain outlet covers are a leading cause of such incidents, according to the CPSC.

Just last week, a four-year-old Miami girl nearly drowned when her arm was caught in the vacuum drain of her family's backyard swimming pool.  Such incidents highlight the need for these safety measures.

One pool-safety advocate told ABC News that he is hopeful the prosecution of Lionetti will send a strong message to swimming pool owners, contractors and government building officials. "As a result of this arrest we are anticipating that many pools will now be made safe and compliant," said Paul Pennington, spokesman for the Pool Safety Consortium.

Brian and Karen Cohn, the parents of the boy who drowned in Greenwich, issued a statement through their attorney saying the prosecution would draw attention to the necessity for anti-entrapment devices and legislation making them mandatory, according a report in the Greenwich Time newspaper.

This past January, the Cohns filed a suit against Shoreline Pools, the town of Greenwich, and others involved in the construction of the pool, claiming the pool violated state building codes because the drainage system did not have necessary safeguards to shut off suction if an object blocked the drain.

"Nothing will bring our son back, but we hope this prosecution will help prevent another horrific accident like this from happening to someone else," the statement said. "Those who knowingly violate pool safety codes designed to protect children should be held accountable for their actions."

State Attorney David Cohen told the Greenwich Time that Lionetti's company failed to install a legally required safety vacuum-release system on the Cohn family's pool, and a mandated dual-drain system, Cohen said.

Under Connecticut law, municipal building inspectors are responsible for ensuring that pool plans are up to code and for inspecting the finished pool before issuing a certificate of occupancy. The Cohn's lawsuit contends that the town issued the permits without inspecting the plans and did not conduct a final inspection before issuing the certificate.

The case is being closely watched in both the safety and legal communities. If convicted, Lionetti faces up to 10 years in prison.

Rise in child drownings prompts new warnings on pool safety

The number of drowning fatalities of children younger than five in swimming pools and spas has increased to a yearly average of 283 for the years 2003 to 2005 from a yearly average of 267 for the years 2002 to 2004, according to a report released Wednesday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Most of the deaths occurred in residential pools and spas and involved children ages one and two. Drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages one to four.

The report also noted that the number of emergency room visits for injuries caused by pool or spa submersions decreased from a yearly average of 2,800 in the years 2004 to 2006 to an average of 2,700 for each of the years 2005 to 2007.

At a press conference, the CPSC issued a reminder about the new federal pool and spa safety measure that was signed into law in December. The Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act requires that by December 19, 2008, all public pools and spas have safety drain covers, and in certain circumstances, an anti-entrapment system. “CPSC is calling upon all public pool and spa owners to comply with the new federal law and we urge parents to never let their children out of sight when they are in or around a pool or spa,” said CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord.

Nancy Baker, whose 7-year-old daughter Graeme, died in 2002 as the result of a spa entrapment incident and after whom the law was named, was also in attendance. "This legislation helps give meaning to the tragic circumstances that took Graeme’s life and the lives of many other children,” said Baker. “It is a tribute to these children and their grieving families that this law will prevent injuries and deaths as a result of drowning. Graeme would be honored that it is in her name."

New CPSC data shows that between 1999 and 2007 there were 74 reported incidents involving entrapment, resulting in nine deaths and 63 injuries. Six of the deaths occurred in pools and three occurred in spas and all of the deaths except for one involved children 14 or younger.  Entrapments occur when a child is trapped by the force of suction at the drain and can occur because of a broken or missing outlet cover.

But drain entrapment is just a small contributor to the high number of drownings that the CPSC reported.  Lapses in caregiver supervision, missing or inadequate fencing, lack of effective alarms, and use of non-safety covers can also contribute to drowning and injury.  We are particularly concerned about the hazards caused by inflatable pools, which often escape inclusion in and enforcement of municipal safety codes. (For more on inflatable pools, watch our video on pool dangers.)

Because drownings occur when children get access to a pool, often without adult supervision, the CPSC recommends that pool owners adopt several layers of protection including fences, alarms and/or power safety covers over the pool. It also recommends removing ladders from above-ground pools when not in use. In addition, the agency recommends that parents follow these tips to help prevent drowning deaths:

• Since every second counts, always look for a missing child in the pool first. Precious time is often wasted looking for missing children anywhere but in the pool.
• Don't leave toys and floats in the pool that can attract young children and cause them to fall in the water when they reach for the items.
• Inspect pools and spas for missing or broken drain covers.
• Do not allow children in a pool or spa with missing/broken covers. Inserting an arm or leg into the opening can result in powerful suction and total body submersion/drowning.
• For above-ground and inflatable pools with ladders, remove or secure the ladder when the pool is not in use.
• It is important to always be prepared for an emergency by having rescue equipment and a phone near the pool. Parents should learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Nancy Baker: A daughter's drowning leads to pool safety reforms

Nancy Baker never envisioned becoming a leading advocate for safer pools and spas.  However, the tragic accident that killed her 7-year old daughter Graeme in 2002 prompted her to act. As she says, “It helps me make some sense of something that makes no sense at all. It was an utterly preventable and senseless death.”

Baker’s personal story, coupled with her tireless campaign to make sure such a tragedy doesn’t happen to others, is one of the chief reasons why Congress could soon enact a federal pool and spa safety bill named for Graeme. The bill, which would direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to set an anti-entrapment safety standard for pool and spa covers, was passed by unanimous vote in the House in October and now awaits Senate action. The measure also encourages states, through financial incentives, to pass strong laws to require fences and anti-entrapment drain cover devices to reduce childhood drowning. Although the measure has strong bipartisan support, its fate is uncertain according to The Washington Post because the fiscal conservative Sen. Tom Coburn, (R-Okla.) has put a legislative hold on the measure, along with several dozen other bills, because they authorize new spending without offsetting that expense elsewhere in the federal budget.

Graeme Baker, who had been swimming unassisted since she was three, drowned after becoming trapped underwater by hundreds of pounds of suction force from a hot-tub drain. Graeme had gone to the graduation party of a family friend with her mother and four sisters, including her twin, Jackie. Soon after they arrived, one of Baker's daughters ran toward her and screamed, "Mommy! Mommy! Graeme is in the hot tub." Baker says: "I jumped in."

As she later testified in Congress: “It took two adults to pull her off this drain, the force so great that the cover of the drain cracked in half removing her.” 

Accidental deaths, a silent epidemic

Here’s a scary fact: Every five minutes, a person dies from an accident. The National Safety Council calls accidental deaths “a silent epidemic,” rising at an alarming rate -- more than 20 percent over 10 years -- reaching 113,000 fatalities in 2005, the latest data available.

According to a recent safety council study, accidental deaths are the fifth leading cause of death but the number of accidental fatalities is rising at a faster rate than the top four causes of death: heart disease, cancer, stroke and chronic lower respiratory disease. Accidental deaths reached an all-time high of 116,385 in 1969. At the current rate of increase, annual fatalities could surpass that record in just a few years, the safety council says.

Driving the increase is the aging population, which translates into more falls and more medication, leading to accidental overdoses, the council says. The safety council also pins some of the blame on new technology that distracts drivers. Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of injury-related deaths, although they have dropped significantly from the record high of 56,278 in 1982 to 42,642 in 2006.

The second leading cause of accidental death is poisoning, particularly from overdoses of over-the-counter, prescription and illicit drugs. In fact, poisoning is the fastest-rising cause of accidental death, with a  5 percent increase in 2005 alone. Deaths from falls rank third, with choking and drowning rounding out the top five. These five leading causes account for 83 percent of all accidental deaths. But while drowning was the fifth-leading cause nationally, many states ranked fire as the fifth-leading cause of accidental death.

There is some good news from the safety council’s report. The death rate from workplace injuries has dropped by 17 percent since 1992. On the other hand, the death rate from injuries incurred at home and in community settings has increased by 30 percent for that same time period.

Accidents also accounted for more than 24 million nonfatal injuries in 2005. The economic cost of all fatal and nonfatal injuries amounted to $625.5 billion nationally, or $5,500 per household. “Our research shows that when it comes to safety, most Americans are more concerned about being the victim of a random act of violence than they are about being seriously injured in an accident,” said NSC President and CEO Alan McMillan. “The reality is that while we are at greater risk of experiencing an accidental injury, we have greater control over managing those risks.”
   
It goes without saying—be careful.

More information
For a state-by-state accident report visit the National Safety Council site.