Water toys aren't safety equipment, warn experts

Nova Scotia's Lifeguard Service is warning that inflatable water toys can give people a false sense of security.

The warning comes after a man drowned in Halifax's Chocolate Lake on Sunday. A witness told CBCNews he was using an inflatable duck before he went under the surface.

"It's very tragic," said Paul D'Eon, the director of the lifeguard service. "But it's not surprising. People get out there, they forget about safety. They're having fun. Even good swimmers need to wear their life-jackets and PFDs."

D'Eon is part of a national safety committee that has some concerns about aquatic novelty items like pool noodles and inflatable rafts. He saidpeople trust them because they float.

"When you're out and you don't realize you've drifted into deep water and you go to touch bottom and let go [of] the inflatable, pretty soon you're drowning."

It's a concern shared by the Canadian Red Cross.

Toys a factor in 50 deaths

It reviewed drowning deaths across the country between 1991 and 2010. During those 20 years, recreational toys were a factor in 50 deaths.

The Canadian Red Cross said that with an increase in popularity of the water toys a proportional increase in fatalities wouldn't be out of the question.

"They're just not certified,"said SimonLeBlanc, a lifeguard instructor trainer with the Canadian Red Cross. "If we look at those products, there's no testing done to see if they're going to flip you back on your side up if you become unconscious.

"It becomes a personal choice, but [what] we would advise [people] to do is to wear a flotation device that is approved like a life-jacket or PFD while mounting those devices."

D'Eon saidmany novelty floating toys are made in places that don't have to follow Canadian standards. That means, he said, they often leak or can pop while people are playing on them.

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