Travelers: Buy Portable Carbon Monoxide Detectors Now

Image by Engin Akyurt from Pixabay

As has been widely reported in the last day, a man and woman, both from the United States, died at a luxury hotel, Rancho Pescadero, located in Baja California, Mexico and two first responders are reported to be hospitalized (see, e.g., CNN, NBC).

The autopsy of the deceased guests lists the cause of death as intoxication by substance to be determined. Since there has been no formal determination of the exact substance that caused the deaths, it is best not to jump to conclusions until the full report is in. Notwithstanding the above, many people are stating, perhaps prematurely, that carbon monoxide was to blame for the deaths.

Regardless of the exact causation in this tragic case, it is a good time to visit the topic of carbon monoxide regulation in hotels.   The death of three Americans at a Sandals Resort in the Bahamas last year was widely publicized and called attention to the need for regulations pertaining to carbon monoxide. On June 30, 2022, Heather Murphy of the New York Times, explored this issue in a piece entitled It Costs $30 and Saves Lives. Why Don’t Many Hotels Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms?.

This problem is not limited to international hotels. According to The Jenkins Foundation, which studies carbon monoxide poisoning in hotels:

Dozens of carbon monoxide (CO) incidents occur in U.S. hotels every year. Many of these incidents result in unnecessary harm to guests, including permanent brain injury and death. CO poisoning is easily preventable with safeguards that include adequate CO detection, emergency protocols and staff education/training. So why do these incidents continue to happen? Because many states do not require hotels to have such safeguards in place, and because there is no federal requirement mandating that hotel guests be protected from CO exposure.

Many believe that there should be federal legislation mandating the installation of carbon monoxide detectors by hotels, but presently the topic is left to the states. The Jenkins Foundation, relying on a report by the National Conference of State Legislatures, reported that only 14 states in the U.S. require the installation of carbon monoxide detection in hotels under statute and that most of these requirements apply only to newly constructed hotels and do not require detection in all guest rooms. Obviously, we need more detailed and stringent regulations on this topic.

We are the customers. We must presently call on hotels to immediately install carbon monoxide detectors in all hotel rooms. I don’t care how loyal you are to a hotel chain, if the rooms don’t have carbon monoxide detectors, don’t stay there (or bring your own detector).

Until we are confident that, by regulation or otherwise, we are fully protected in a hotel room from carbon monoxide poisoning, we must take steps to protect ourselves.

Only a few months ago, on Twitter, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission tweeted that travelers should pack a carbon monoxide alarm in their suitcases:

I think it is time to heed the call of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and buy a portable carbon monoxide detector!

There are plenty of small battery-operated detectors on Amazon to choose from and many are less than $30, which is a small price to pay if it can save your life and the lives of those you love! And when you’re not traveling, it doesn’t hurt to have an extra detector sitting in your home or office or garage.

How many bells and whistles you want is your prerogative, but please buy a carbon monoxide detector. If you decide to purchase a detector that uses lithium batteries, rather than ordinary batteries, you might want to consult with the airlines you travel with as to whether the detector must be stored in carry-on baggage.