Carbon Monoxide
- Dangers for Travelers Carbon Monoxide is not just something to protect yourself from when you're at home. Even travelers must be weary of this threat, as it affects hotel and motel guests every year: There have been 68
documented incidents of CO poisoning at U.S. hotels, motels, and
resorts between 1989 and 2004. The incidents sickened 772 people, 27 of
whom died.
CO can enter a hotel room due to faulty boilers and/or
furnaces in adjacent rooms. Because most hotel rooms do not have CO
detectors, travelers have no way of knowing if they are being
poisoned. Some might confuse the symptoms with another
illness, such as food poisoning. But by the time a hotel guest realizes
something is very wrong, it may be too late. In the most mild cases,
guests can suffer dizziness, headaches or nausea. As reported in the
news, such problems have sometimes affected guests in more than one
room, prompting calls to 911. Only later did authorities reveal the
true cause of their symptoms. In the worst such cases though, one or
more individuals in the same room have died due to large concentrations
of CO.-- American Journal of Preventive Medicine We have collected news articles relating to incidences of CO poisoning when traveling. Please read them, in the window below, to educate yourself on this real risk: When
you travel protect yourself, and your family,
with a Pocket CO detector:
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