Citation

Petruk J, Shields E, Cummings GE, Francescutti LH. CMAJ 1996; 155(10): 1417-1419.

Affiliation

Alberta SAFE KIDS, Children's Health Centre, Capital Health Authority, Edmonton.

Comment In:

CMAJ 1996;155(10):1429-31

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, Canadian Medical Association)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

8943929

PMCID

PMC1335112

Abstract

Injuries account for more deaths and hospital admissions among children and adolescents than all diseases combined. The authors report two deaths by asphyxiation that resulted from drawstrings on the children's clothing becoming entangled on slides. Although such incidents are not common, they are preventable. The authors urge physicians to counsel parents and guardians to remove drawstrings from children's clothing, and they call upon the government and the clothing industry to work toward improving the safety standards for the design, manufacture and importation of children's clothing and banning the sale of children's clothing with drawstrings in Canada. In addition, they provide several resources for readers interested in helping reduce playground hazards in their communities.

Language: en