Taking a trip? Why you might want to pack a carbon monoxide detector in your suitcase

If you're planning to get away for the March Break or maybe this summer, there are certain things you always bring with you on a trip. Pat Foran has more.

Canadians planning to get away for the March Break or in the summer months can be certain they’ll be packing things like a swimsuit, sunglasses, and a phone charger.

But, there is a safety consideration travellers may not have thought about and it’s why more people are now packing a carbon monoxide detector in their luggage.

While carbon monoxide detectors must be installed in homes and hotels in Ontario and most parts of Canada, if you’re travelling outside of the country, you could be staying at a vacation property without them.

Carbon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas that can cause illness or even death within hours of exposure.

There was a carbon monoxide leak at a hotel in the United States in North Carolina where Kris Hauschildt’s parents were staying.

“So, my parents were on a vacation in a hotel when they were found dead in their hotel room,” Hauschildt explained about the tragedy.

“My parents could have survived that incident had there been installed CO detection in that building.”

Seven weeks later, an 11-year-old boy lost his life, and his mother sustained permanent injuries from the same leak.

An investigation determined that the hotel’s pool heater malfunctioned causing the carbon monoxide leak.

Mobile CO detectors

“CO detector requirements vary greatly by location and CO leaks can happen anywhere that there’s a fuel-burning appliance and that leaves countless travellers at risk,” said Gabe Knight with Consumer Reports. “It can happen on RVs, it can happen on boats.”

There are now portable carbon monoxide detectors you can take with you when you take a trip and there are some that plug in and others that run on batteries.

Consumer Reports tested some of these mobile CO detectors. Each device was placed in a closed chamber, exposed to carbon monoxide, and tested for accuracy.

The Lunarlipes PTH-10-D quickly sounds an alarm when exposed to both low and high levels of CO and comes with a built-in rechargeable battery.

The Kidde Plug-In Carbon Monoxide Detector K121006677 while bulkier, excels at detecting both low and high levels of CO and accurately displays them.

The mobile CO detectors can also be used in the home as well.

After losing her parents, Hauschildt now runs a foundation in honour of her them, to warn others of the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning.

She believes you shouldn’t take a trip without one.

“Travel with your own carbon monoxide alarm. That is lifesaving to be able to take that action on behalf of yourself and your family,” said Hauschildt.