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Show (CdPimsniiinniSimg IIimtteirit Parents warned of suffocation danger M balloon pieces are easily sucked into the throat. Balloons, by their very nature, are made to prevent any air from passing through. Should a balloon or a piece of a balloon be drawn into the throat, it will be just as effective in preventing the passage of air into the throat, the commission said. Furthermore, Fur-thermore, balloons easily mold to the throat's contours and adhere. An uninflated balloon or piece of a balloon can completely cover and block the breathinc pnsnjf Because of the danger of suffocation, the CPSC recommends that parents and guardians do not allow children under the age of six to play with uninflated balloons without supervision. If an inflated balloon breaks, the CPSC recommends that parents immediately collect the pieces and dispose of them out of the reach of young children. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has warned parents and guardians of young children about the suffocation hazard presented by uninflated toy balloons and pieces of broken balloons. Of all children's products, balloons bal-loons are the leading cause of suffocation death, according to CPSC injury data. Since 1973, more than 80 children have died as a result of suffocation involving uninflated balloons bal-loons or pieces of balloons. Most of the victims were under six years of age, but several older children also have suffocated on balloons, the commission said. Accidents involving balloons tend to occur in two ways. Some children have sucked uninflated balloons into i their mouths, often while attempting to inflate them. This can occur when a child who is blowing up the balloon inhales or takes a breath to prepare for the next blow. Some deaths may have resulted when children swallowed swal-lowed uninflated balloons they were sucking or chewing on. The commission cited one case in which a child was chewing on an uninflated balloon when she fell from a swing. The child hit the ground and, in a reflex action, inhaled sharply. She suffocated on the balloon. . The second kind of accident involves balloon pieces which children child-ren have drawn into their throats. If a balloon breaks and is not discarded, for example, children nay continue to play with it, chewing on pieces of it or attempting to stretch it across their mouths and suck or blow bubbles in it. These |
