(WAND) - About 5 million swimming pools have been recalled after they were linked to nine deaths of children over the past two decades.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Monday that the pools, specifically those 48 inches in height or taller, have compression straps that small children can use as footholds to climb into the water unattended, even if a ladder is removed.
Nine children who died as a result were between the ages of 22 months and three years old. The deaths happened in California, Texas, Florida, Wisconsin, and Missouri between 2007 and 2022.
The CPSC said it was also aware of three other incidents in 2011 and 2012 where children gained access to the pool using compression straps.
The pools were sold in stores like Walmart, Sears, Target, Kmart, Lowe's, and Toys "R" Us, as well as online stores like Amazon.
They ranged in price from $400 to $1,000 and were manufactured in China.
Anyone with one of the affected pools is told 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.
About 226,000 of the pools were also sold in Canada, where they have also been recalled.
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