MUMBAI: Following legendary actress Sridevi’s tragic and abrupt death in an incident of “accidental drowning”, the question has risen as to whether bathtub deaths are a phenomenon and whether they as fatal as in the case of Sridevi. However, while bathtub deaths may appear to be an alien concept in India and the subcontinent, such tragedies are a well-documented medical fact in other countries such as Japan and the US.
Random bathroom accidents-slips or falls-are about the only domestic accidents that are known of in this part of the world. This could also be attributed to the fact that bathtubs are also rare in India and Pakistan and most people bathe in stand-in showers.
In Japan, sudden bath-related deaths have assumed proportions of a national tragedy with 19,000 deaths occurring annually, according to a study published the Journal of General and Family Medicine in March 2017. A year earlier, Japan’s Consumer Affairs Agency released a report stating that drowning in bathtubs rose 70% over the past 10 years with nine out of 10 victims over 65 years of age. Studies say the Japanese bathing style of using hot water at temperatures above 41°C could be a contributory factor. Japanese bathtubs are also deeper.
In the US, federal mortality data in 2006 stated at least one American dies in a bathtub, hot tub or spa a day, with most of them high on alcohol or drugs.
The Center for Diseases Control in Atlanta, US, released an exhaustive data in 2015 about how bathrooms-“the smallest room in the house”-could be dangerous. It said over 200,000 people aged over 15 visit hospital emergency rooms every year because of bathroom injuries. Of these, 14% need hospitalization. While most accidents occur while bathing or showering, the report said the victims are more often women, perhaps because of their lower-body strength and bone mass.
Whitney Houston, Bobbi Kristina Brown and Jim Morrison are among celebrities who were previously found dead in their bathtubs. Pop icon Houston was found face down in the bathtub of her hotel suite in 2012 and evidence of drug use was discovered in her room. Bobbi Kristina Brown, Houston’s daughter, was also found unconscious with her face down in a bathtub in 2015. Autopsy records revealed alcohol and prescription medicines.