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6/3/97

Children who Strangle in Window Cords Has Been Under-reported

According to an article in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association about half of the deaths of children who strangle in window cords have not been reported. The study found that 49% of the total number of window cord strangulations were not being reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The study estimates that from 1981 to 1995 the total number was 359. These figures mean that nearly one child is strangling in window cords every two weeks. The study shows that strangulation deaths from window cords happen most often when children are in places their parents think are safe: in a crib or in a child’s bedroom. In 85% of the documented cases, parents were at home at the time of the incident. There are two common ways children strangle in these cords. Infants in cribs near windows get tangled in the looped cords while sleeping or playing; and toddlers, trying to look out a window, climb on furniture, lose their footing and get caught in the window cords. The mortality rate from window cords makes them among the greatest strangulation threats to children three years old and younger. The CPSC has been working to educate parents on the dangers of blind cords through safety alerts and through mailings and posters sent to pediatricians. Call the CPSC Hotline at (800) 638-2772 for more information on how to prevent these tragedies.