Dr. Mercola June 21 2007 44,093 views
Over two dozen children and young adults have died in the last ten years when sand holes collapsed on them.
The father-and-son team of Dr. Barry Maron and Dr. Bradley Maron have made it their goal to alert people to the danger, after seeing a lifeguard responding to a collapse that engulfed an 8 year old girl.
According to these doctors, sand hole collapses can occur horrifyingly fast. Victims can became completely submerged in the sand when the walls of the hole unexpectedly collapse, leaving no evidence of either the hole or the location of the victim.
Although people worry more about better-known threats like shark attacks, there have been a third again as many sand-hole deaths since 1990 as there have been shark-related deaths.
To reduce the danger, parents are advised not to let young children play in sand unattended, and no one should get into a sand hole deeper than their knees.Yahoo News June 20, 2007New England Journal of Medicine June 21, 2007 (Registration Required)
Dr. Mercola's Comment:
While sand hole collapses occur more frequently than shark attacks, it is an issue that has not garnished much attention compared to the more gory summer-time threat. In fact, shark attacks are generally relatively rare when compared to more subtle dangers at the beach.I will repeat the excellent advice from the article: do not let young children play in sand unattended, and do not get into a hole that is deeper than your knees. You could find yourself, or your children, buried quicker than you would believe possible.
But it is the real deal and just be careful out there at the beach.
For more summer safety tips, check out these five ways to protect your kids this season. And, in case you still worry about sharks as well, check out How to Avoid Being Bit by Sharks, which tells you how to at least deal with the shark scenario.
This time of year is also a great time to brush up on your CPR skills, or take a class if you haven't done so already. If you find yourself in a situation where CPR is needed but you're not trained in the proper procedure, chest compression alone has also been found to be an effective form of CPR.
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