Drape Cords Strangle a Child Every Two Weeks in U.S., Study Estimates

At least 183 children, most of them 3 years old or younger, were accidentally strangled in the pull cords of window blinds and drapes between 1981 and 1995, according to a study in the June 4 Journal of the American Medical Assn. The study said many such strangulation deaths go unreported and estimated that the actual incidence of fatality is closer to one every two weeks in the United States.

Study authors Renae Rauchschwalbe of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and N. Clay Mann of Oregon Health Sciences University in Portland urged consumers to use breakaway cords, remove the loop from two-cord blinds or use tie-down devices to prevent injuries.