DROWNING: IT HAS ALREADY STARTED AND JUNE ISN’T OVER

Since the weather got warmer, the drowning of children has been in the news every week. The ages have varied but the outcome is still the same. Understand in no way am I making light of this serious situations but it frustrates me. Why? Drowning is a preventable death. Yes, preventable with swimming lessons and certain precautions. Most towns offer free swimming lessons all year around. If not, organizations like the Make a Splash Foundation have local providers that offer low cost swimming lessons /scholarships to students to take lessons (swim swim swim I SAY is a local provider).

A child/toddler on Saturday got away from its parents and drowned in a neighbor’s pool in New Jersey. Unfortunately, I can’t imagine what these parents are going through; my heart goes out to them. I truly hope they don’t blame themselves; this was an accident. We all know child move quick and get away from us in a blink of an eye.

Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental deaths of children. 40% of the drownings occur when children were supervised, 39 % happened with no supervision of an adult and 18% were blamed on a lapse of supervision. During the summer, three-quarter of the death take place in a child’s own back yard.

Please remember if you own a pool, have a pool close by or will be near a pool to take certain precautions.

·         A backyard pool should have at least a fence 4 foot high surrounding the pool with a self latching gate

·         Parents/caregivers need to watch children in, near or around water at all times- not socialize, read, sleep or drink.

·         Adults should know how to swim themselves and know CPR

·         Remove all ladders when a pool is not in use and store them away

·         Purchase a wrist alarm system for small children (alarms if the wrist gets wet) and have child wear them if they are around a pool or you have a pool in your back yard even if you are not using the pool that day. What is $200 when a child’s life can be saved

I ask anyone reading this to pass it on to anyone who has small children. Please help any parent not have to go through a tragic accident that can be prevented.

Be safe and see you in the water!

http://www.swimswimswimisay.com/

PORTABLE/KIDDY/WADING POOLS – WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW!

Most parents are so unaware that the popular portable, inflatable pools pose serious risk and danger to many children. Unfortunately more than 200 deaths of children under 12 are linked to a variety of above-ground pools. On average, one child drowns every five days in a portable above-ground pool.

Most individuals have no idea that child can drown in as little as 2 inches of water and only in a couple of minutes. In addition, very young children can drown in a 5 gallon bucket with only a few inches of water at the bottom. Children always need to be supervised when they are playing in or around a portable pool. Portable/ Kiddy Pools should be empty when not in use (every single time). Parents/caregivers need to watch children in, near or around water at all times- not socialize, read, sleep or drink.

I hope the above tips help reduce the fact that drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death of children. Please be safe this summer and see you in the water!

http://www.swimswimswimisay.com/

IS YOUR SUNSCREEN REALLY ALL ITS PROTECTION SHOULD BE?

Believe it or not, last year the sunscreen industries profited 687.5 million dollars in sales. But last week, the FDA released the much anticipated changes to sunscreen products that will forever change this industry. In the past, the SPF # referred to UVB rays only and not UVA rays. Now science believes UVA is more harmful than first researched.

 Below is a quick lesson on understanding the sun’s harmful rays, sunscreens, and what to look for on the labels when purchasing sunscreens.

·         UVA- accounts for 95% of sun’s Ultraviolet Rays

o   Penetrates the skin more deeply than UVB

o   Dominant tanning rays

o   Contributes to and may even initiate the development of skin cancer and premature aging

o   Tanning beds emit primarily and increase melanoma risk by 75% in youths

·         UVB- in the past is what the SPF number referred to

o   Chief cause of skin reddening and sunburn

o   Most significant between 10 am and 4 pm from April to October in the United States

o   Does not penetrate glass

·         SPF- indicates how long it will take for UVB rays to redden skin when using a sunscreen

o   SPF of 15- 15 times longer to redden sun then without protection(screens out 93% UVB rays)

o   SPF of 30 – protects against 97%  of UVB rays

o   SPF of 50 – protects against 98%  of UVB rays

New changes to sunscreens are as follows:

·         No sunscreen is permitted to promote their product prevents skin cancer

·         Must clearly indicate if they protect you against UVA

·         If a label has “BROAD SPECTRUM” -  cleared by the FDA to protect against BOTH UVA and UVB

·         A Broad Spectrum and SPF of 15 and higher can claim to reduce skin cancer and premature aging but must be used as directed and with other protective measures

·         SPF between  2 – 14 and NO BROAD SPECTRUM – can only claim to help prevent sunburn

·         SPF levels- capped at 50 for now but higher are proposed.

·         Labels CAN NOT read waterproof,  sweat proof or sunblock

·         IF labeled WATER-RESISTANT-the label must indicate if effective for 40 or 80 minutes while swimming or sweating.

This is a list of what ingredients sunscreens should contain or have on the label to protect you against UVA and UVB rays:

·         SPF of 15 or higher

·         Broad Spectrum

·         Stabilized Avobenzone, Ecamsule(Mexoryl), Oxybenzone,Titanium Dioxide, and Zinc Oxide

Guidelines for sun protection:

·         Do not burn

·         Look for shade between 10am and 4 pm

·         Cover up with clothing and broad-brimmed hats

·         Use the new labeled broad-spectrum(UVA/UVB) , SPF of 15 or higher sunscreens

·         Apply 30 minutes before going outside and reapply every 2 hours or immediately after swimming or sweating.

I guess the government finally stopped us from believing we were protected when we truly weren’t very well protected at all. The proof of these changes in a positive direction will come when we see how the skin cancer rates are affected. Time, will be the true test! Have a great summer and be careful in the water.