Every year, more than 3,500 people in the United States die from drowning, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It’s the fifth most common cause of accidental death in the country. Most people who die by drowning are children.
Drowning is a form of death by suffocation. Death occurs after the lungs take in water. This water intake then interferes with breathing. The lungs become heavy, and oxygen stops being delivered to the heart. Without the supply of oxygen, the body shuts down.
The average person can hold their breath for around 30 seconds. For children, the length is even shorter. A person who’s in excellent health and has training for underwater emergencies can still usually hold their breath for only 2 minutes.
But the health event we know as drowning only takes a couple of seconds to occur.
If a person is submerged after breathing in water for 4 to 6 minutes without resuscitation, it will result in brain damage and eventually death by drowning.
This article will discuss safety strategies to prevent drowning.