Five million aboveground swimming pools recalled in the US

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in conjunction with manufacturers, has recalled five million swimming pools linked to nine deaths of children over the past two decades.

The pools are 1.2 metres or taller and are equipped with compression straps that serve as footholds, allowing small children to climb into the water unattended, even if a ladder is removed.

Nine children who died as a result were aged between 22 months and three years old. The deaths occurred in California, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin and Missouri between 2007 and 2022.

There were also three other incidents in 2011 and 2012, in which children were reported to have gained access to the pool using the compression straps.

The manufacturers are Bestway, based in Hong Kong; Bestway (USA) Inc, based in Arizona; International Ltd from China; Intex Recreation Corp in California, and Polygroup North America Inc, based in Texas.

Bestway, Intex and Polygroup said in a joint statement that the three companies have been actively engaged in continuously reviewing and updating product safety standards for many years and have been working with the CPSC on updating the safety standards for above-ground pools since 2023.

The updated standard was finalised in May 2025 and aims to prevent unsupervised children gaining a foothold on the products from compression straps that surround the outside of the pool legs, the companies’ statement said.

The products were sold in stores such as Walmart, Target, Sears, Kmart, Lowe’s, and Toys R Us, as well as through online stores like Amazon. They range in price from $US400 to $US1000 and are manufactured in China.

Around 266,000 of the pools sold in Canada have also been recalled.

Consumers with affected pools are urged to contact the manufacturer to request a free repair kit, which includes a rope that attaches to each of the vertical support poles and wraps around the pool.

The rope will maintain the structural integrity of the pool instead of the compression strap, which should be cut and removed.

IMAGE: A child using the compression strap to stand on the aboveground pool. (CPSC)