Airbnb's silent killer: 19 carbon monoxide deaths in 10 years, but detectors still not required
Airbnb's silent killer: 19 carbon monoxide deaths in 10 years, but detectors still not required
NBC News has identified 19 deaths since 2013 that occurred at Airbnb properties and are alleged to have involved carbon monoxide poisoning as the company faces multiple lawsuits.
There’s no local ordinance over the ocean? Here (Belgium) it’s mandatory for anything rented or commercially used.
It's strange though that it is not required in private homes, and rbnb are basically available private homes for rent (or at least it started with that)
I think it's required by law now in Ontario, Canada too. It applies to every residential building with an attached garage, fuel burning appliances, or a fireplace.
It was put in place after an officer died along with her husband and two kids back in 2008 from carbon monoxide poisoning.
More places should have alarm requirements, imo. It's not like you can smell it, see it, taste it, or hear it. Carbon monoxide is called a silent killer for a good reason.
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Unless I missed it skimming the article, they don't list CO deaths per stay, so the numbers can't be directly compared.
There were fewer deaths in hotels despite accounting for far far more nights of booking.
You’re confirming that AirBnB has a much higher rate of killing guests with CO than hotels which follow the law.
A portable CO detector isn't such a bad idea for staying at places you aren't sure about, even if they aren't airbnbs.
Aren't most CO detectors portable? The only ones I've ever seen in stores are small and plug right into the wall like a wall wart or battery powered (or both)
They are, but there are models meant for travel, especially for situations like camping with a wood stove in your tent.
What the hell is up with all that CO? I mean... How does one even get CO in those concentrations? Fireplaces? If so, CO detectors aren't the solution, correctly maintained and built chimneys are.
In my friend's case it was just a faulty heater in her apartment. The first cold night of the year she turned on the heat, went to bed, and never woke up. I don't know the details beyond that.
We've had detectors ever since. And I usually think about it this time of year.
It's gas heating/cooking.
A good time to remind the part of the world using these fuels that this is not a thing if you switch to electric solutions, which are superior for heating/cooling performance and superior for the vast majority cooking use-cases. They also have the potential to have zero emissions, which gas combustion can't really have. Switch today.
I dislike AirBNB, but 19 deaths in 10 years is laughably low. I really don't see how it's their job to mandate this for every rental around the world. If you're worried about this, bring your own damn detector.
I see your point, but it's not always about the numbers. We prevent child deaths that would amount to extremely low numbers because it's important and preventable. Same thing here, except carbon monoxide detectors could prevent an entire family from being wiped out overnight. Also, they're crazy-cheap, especially for a business that you set up to be long-term and to make money from...
What's we in this case? Infant mortality is still ridiculously high in many African states.
It's not a huge number, but some regulation to make sure CO detectors are mandatory in Airbnb's (and frankly, any residential property as well) wouldn't be terrible.
AirBnB is killing 2 customers a year because it’s cheaper for them than mandating a cheap piece of safety equipment.