Urgent Warning For Pool Owners In Minnesota

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is putting out an urgent recall to owners of large above-ground pools, citing a serious drowning risk to young children.

Officials say at least nine children, ranging in age from 22 months to 3 years old, have drowned after gaining access to these pools using foothold straps built into the design. The pools involved are 48 inches or taller and were sold in Minnesota by Intex, Polygroup, and Bestway.

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At Least 9 Children Have Died From Pools Sold in Minnesota

These pools can be identified by the compression straps that wrap around the vertical support poles. Children have been using the straps as footholds to climb into the pools, leading to tragic results. Fatal incidents have already occurred in Texas, California, Wisconsin, Florida, and Michigan.

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Roughly 5 million pools are affected. The models were sold starting in 2002 at major retailers such as Walmart, Target, The Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Costco, and various online platforms including Amazon and Wayfair. They retailed for between $400 and $1,000, depending on the model and included accessories.

Made in China, Sold Under Multiple Brands

All the pools were manufactured in China and sold under different brand names. They can be visually identified by the way the straps wrap around the perimeter poles. (See the image below for reference.)

What Pool Owners Should Do Now

Manufacturers are offering free repair kits. In the meantime, the CPSC urges parents to either restrict access to the pool or drain it until the repair can be completed. You can click here to view the full list of affected models and get contact information for the repair kits.