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Over the last few months two situations regarding American tourists in the Cabo area could’ve had completely different outcomes if these travelers had just packed a carbon monoxide detector.
Last month an American couple tragically died from carbon monoxide poisoning at the famous Rancho Pescadero hotel.
Just last week, another incident involving American tourists nearly ended in tragedy for the exact same cause.
A family staying at a local Airbnb in San Jose del Cabo all developed symptoms related to some type of intoxication.
Luckily in this particular case, their neighbors were able to call for help in time for the 9 members of the family to be evacuated to a local hospital where they were treated and saved.
At first, there was speculation that the members of this American family had been victims of fentanyl intoxication due to them apparently reporting taking medication that they had purchased at local pharmacies. The tests that were run at the hospital though did not show signs of the drug within their organism.
Authorities investigating the case indicate that it’s highly likely that this American family suffered a carbon monoxide intoxication and not a fentanyl-related one.
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Why Carbon Monoxide Intoxications Are Happening In Cabo
It’s important to point out that these intoxication issues are isolated events primarily caused by failing or otherwise old equipment within a hotel or vacation home.
That may be perhaps the most concerning thing about these situations in the sense that they are not necessarily predictable. There aren’t necessarily ways to know for certain when a specific machine will fail and release these chemicals into the air.
Perhaps the worst part about it is that being exposed to carbon monoxide for only about 5 minutes can be fatal.
Currently, Mexican law does not require carbon monoxide detectors to be installed in homes or hotels. The lack of a mandate and the fact that a Hyatt hotel like Rancho Pescadero did not go the extra mile and install enough carbon monoxide detectors on their property are the two things that have baffled people about the aforementioned tragedy.
In spite of the tragedy, there’s no guarantee that local hotels will start adding carbon monoxide detectors to their facilities.
The situation with Airbnb homes seems even more farfetched, even though there is a tentative initiative brewing in the Mexican Senate to enforce a mandate.
Tourists who want to be proactive about their own safety while in Cabo would do well to bring a carbon monoxide detector on their journey.
What To Look For In A Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector
Cabo is not the only city where travelers have unfortunately passed away due to carbon monoxide poisoning. In fact, there was a very recent incident in Mexico where lives were lost.
Airbnb, for their part, always lets users know whether the home has a Carbon Monoxide detector already. When staying at a home that doesn’t feature this item, tourists can bring their own.
There are multiple detectors that are very portable; adding them to your luggage or your carry-on for your Cabo trip won’t make a massive difference on the scale.
At the beginning of the year, Travel & Leisure magazine put out an article listing some of the top options on the market.
Some of the things that the magazine suggests is that travelers buy a device with a long-lasting battery. There are devices with batteries that last north of ten years.
Some of these batteries, though, are going to be lithium batteries, and those can’t be brought aboard a plane in your checked bags.
They have to go in your carry-on. This element is one that travelers should keep in mind when deciding what device they want to buy.
Other things that travelers may want to consider aside from portability and the type of battery these devices run on is the type of alarm that each detector emits.
Some options that are extremely portable will even vibrate to signal high levels of carbon monoxide. These are great for travelers who are looking to go on hikes or different adventures that could expose them even more than just remaining within a hotel or Airbnb.
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Jordan
Sunday 6th of August 2023
Recently returned from Cabo and packed a CO detector cause of some of these horror stories I've heard. Happy I did because the room we stayed in at Hilton Los Cabos not only did not have a CO detector, but the hotel had removed the smoke detectors entirely. This was a beautiful, high end hotel and we loved just about everything about it, but this simply strikes me as lazy and unexcusable to remove smoke detectors. I don't get it - these are not hard to install, not a nuisance to use and not expensive to install and maintain. Why put your property's and company's reputation and your guests safety on the line over something like this??