Window blinds are still killing children ? but should cords be banned entirely"
by Michelle Stein posted in Parenting
Between 1990 and 2015, a common household item was responsible for nearly 17,000 injuries and almost 300 deaths in young children: Window blinds with cords. Following a recent study on such incidents, the window covering industry is now looking to eliminate cords entirely.
The study -- which was published Monday in Pediatrics -- found most deaths occurred when children became entangled or strangled by the cords. Most frequently, the child was under the care of a parent and had been left alone for less than 10 minutes, often after the child had been put to bed. Here are a few other stats from the report:
On average, one child died each month -- usually after the child's neck became entangled in inner cords (like those in horizontal blinds and roman shades) and also in cords that raise or lower the blinds. Additionally, children became entangled in continuous loop cords (like those in vertical blinds and roll-up shades) and also in loops tied by consumers in an attempt to keep cords out of a child's reach.
Two-thirds of the entanglements resulted in death.
Now, the study's authors argue that a mandatory safety standard that eliminates accessible window blind cords should be implemented.
This study ?should be a huge wake-up call to the public, to the retailers, to the manufacturers and to parents all over the nation to really see how hazardous the cords on the blinds are,? said Linda Kaiser, a mom from St. Louis, according to AB...
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