Preventing Hot Tub Drownings

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Even though a hot tub or sauna can be enjoyable places to spend time, please be aware that they can be dangerous appliances. Here are a few things to be particularly aware of:

Dangers of Long Hair and Hot Tubs

In the last decade and a half over 750 deaths have taken place in hot tubs. Of these, a fair amount have been caused by drowning - adults and children.

With kids, the drain cover fittings in the hot tubs are one of the main reasons why they drown. Their hair is sucked into these fittings. For example, when a long haired child puts his or her head under water, their hari can very easily become tangled up in these suction drain cover fittings. In quite a few hot tubs, this suction drain cover fitting is on the floor of the hot tub. In the worst instances, the child's head is pulled under the water and suffocates him before he is able to get himself free. The problem is primarily due to the placement of these hot tub drain cover fittings. For the highest safety, these fittings should be placed on the wall, not the floor. The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is now working with manufacturers to recall these suction drain cover fittings. Nevertheless, these older style drain cover fittings can still be found in many tubs on the market.

If your child has long hair, an additional safety precaution is to have your child wear a bathing cap to reduce the risk of hair entanglement.

Dangers of Mixing Alcohol and Hot Tubs

The combination of heat and alcohol can lead to catastrophes. Modern hot tubs can be heated to a maximum of 104 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat expands the blood vessels and increases the body's temperature. Alcohol also expands the blood vessels and increases the body's temperature. The combination may be too much for your body to take, raising your temperature to so high that it results in a stroke or heart attack.

An additional danger of alcohol, or course, is that excess drinking can cause drowsiness or even worse a blackout or unconsciousness in which state you can very easily drown For safety's sake, it's best not to drink while in a hot tub.

Prescription Medication and Hot Tubs

Many of the most popular medications cause drowsiness. Aspirin, barbiturates, certain anti-depressants, tranquilizers, many antihistamines, certain cold medications , allergy medications, and many others can be potentially dangerous if they're in your system when you use your hot tub.

Pregnancy and Hot Tubs

If you think you heard that women who are pregnant should not use hot tubs, you're right. This is especially true if the woman is in the first three months of pregnancy where the fetus is at its most vulnerable. If a woman immerses herself in the hot tub with temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, she is potentially increasing the likelihood of a miscarriage.

Vascular Diseases and Hot Tubs

If you have hypertension or any blood vessel problems it may be unsafe for you to use a hot tub due to the effect that immersing the body in heated water has on the blood vessels. To be safe, talk to your physician if you have any type of vascular disease before you use a hot tub.

Hot tubs are a great means of relaxation and many families get years of enjoyment from them. Just be sure to take common sense safety precautions when using them.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

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