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Fatal asphyxiations in children involving drawstrings on clothing
J Petruk1, E Shields, G E Cummings
1Alberta SAFE KIDS, Children's Health Centre, Capital Health Authority, Edmonton.
Insights
Children
Area of Science:
- Pediatric injury prevention
- Public health and safety
Background:
- Injuries are a leading cause of death and hospitalization in children, surpassing diseases.
- Playground-related injuries pose a significant risk to child safety.
Observation:
- Two child asphyxiation deaths occurred due to clothing drawstrings entangling on playground slides.
- While rare, these incidents highlight a preventable hazard in children's apparel.
Findings:
- Drawstrings on children's clothing can lead to fatal entanglement on playground equipment.
- The risk, though uncommon, is preventable through targeted safety measures.
Implications:
- Physicians should advise parents on removing drawstrings from children's clothes.
- Government and industry action is needed to improve children's clothing safety standards and ban hazardous drawstrings in Canada.
- Resources are available to help reduce community playground hazards.
Abstract:
Injuries account for more deaths and hospital admissions among children and adolescents than all diseases combined. The authors report two deaths by asphyxiation that resulted from drawstrings on the children's clothing becoming entangled on slides. Although such incidents are not common, they are preventable. The authors urge physicians to counsel parents and guardians to remove drawstrings from children's clothing, and they call upon the government and the clothing industry to work toward improving the safety standards for the design, manufacture and importation of children's clothing and banning the sale of children's clothing with drawstrings in Canada. In addition, they provide several resources for readers interested in helping reduce playground hazards in their communities.