Every year, over 50,000 children are injured or killed in a household accident. Of these accidents, many of them involve window blinds. They become caught in the window shades' cords and die from strangulation. The saddest part of these statistics is that deaths and injuries caused by window treatments are completely preventable.

How It Happens

Children can quickly become entangled in the pull cords used to raise and lower the window blinds. The inner cords, however, can be just as dangerous. When a child pulls on one of the inner support strings, it can form a loop large enough to put his or her head through. When the pull is released, the window shades will fall and strangle the child.

Since 1991, over 90 children have died due to the pull cord and well over 50 have died because of the inner cords. So how do they get to them? Kids will stand on furniture or other items to get up high enough. To keep your child safe, never use corded styles in a children's room or anywhere where they may be unattended.

Preventative Measures

With the sudden realization of the true danger these treatments posed to children, window blinds with looped cords were no longer sold after 1995. Instead, they now feature a pair of separate threads. The danger of the inner support threads has also been reduced.

A tension mechanism has been added to keep the threading tight so that it cannot be pulled large enough to be a danger. Window shades made after 2000 have a special attachment at the top of the covering to shorten the length of the strings. This became law in the US on August 29, 2002.

What You Can Do

One of the most important steps you can take to protect your children is to use cordless styles in their bedrooms and any other room they might be left unattended. Also, replace any treatments made before 2001 with styles that meet today's standards.

You can also purchase a retrofit kit to make older styles safe. Cord stops should be in place, continuous loop styles should be anchored to the floor permanently, and keep tassels short and out of reach.

Even with these safety precautions in place, the inner thread supports can still pose a threat. Therefore, tighten up the inner cords and keep them out of reach of your little ones. To prevent kids from gaining access to these dangerous items, make sure to move furniture and other household items away from the treatments.

Some people also choose to skip styles made from vinyl. This material is known for breaking down in the sunlight and giving off a dust that contains lead. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has found lead in some varieties as late as 2000. In this case, the packaging was marked as "Safe Nonleaded Vinyl Formulation" as well as "Manufactured in Thailand."

It is important to note here, however, that those containing lead as well as styles that do not meet current safety standards are manufactured in foreign countries and imported to the US. Keeping your children safe is a matter of being aware of the dangers and making wise purchasing decisions.

If you are still concerned about this style of window blinds, consider skipping this style all together and aim for solid roll up styles, shutters, or horizontals. They are also available in fabric, wood, and other materials. These types of window shades make a beautiful addition to any room and give you just as much privacy without the added danger.

About the Author

Author is a freelance copywriter. For more information on blinds and window shades, visit http://www.BlindsExpress.com/.

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