This week a story has been in the news about a Delaware family who was poisoned by pesticides sprayed in their Caribbean hotel room.
Delaware family poisoned in Caribbean condo
The family began having seizures after methyl bromide was used to fumigate a nearby room in the condo complex. They were taken to island hospitals and then airlifted back to America for further treatment.
Methyl bomide is an odorless pesticide that can be fatal or cause serious central nervous system and respiratory system damage. Use of this pesticide is restricted in the United States and it’s territories, which includes the Virgin Islands.
It was applied by Terminix, a USA company that should know that the pesticide is not for indoor use.
While this is an isolated incident, it brings attention to the fact that pesticides are routinely used in hotel rooms, especially in areas like the Caribbean where there are a lot of insects.
Pesticide use is something to ask about when choosing a hotel.
Thanks for posting this, but I can’t help but wonder about your last remark on your post “Pesticide use is something to ask about when choosing a hotel.”
What questions did you have in mind?
I’m having a hard time thinking of a question(s) after having read this horrible story…especially when you consider that they still detected the gas in the environment 6 weeks after application.
The question would be do you use pesticides, and if so, what are they for, which pesticides are used and how often are they applied?
Yes, pesticides DO linger weeks after application. I wish someone would hire me to create a nontoxic hotel chain.
The Element Hotel line through Starwood hotels opened a few hotels that are supposed to be eco. It was better than most but they still have a long way to go to be nontoxic. Maybe if more of us went there and gave feedback, etc. don’t have website handy but this was email
gccustservice@starwoodhotels.com
show there is a demand for eco nontoxic hotels with no pesticides and no air freshener and all that…
Here’s an update on the continuing health problems still being experienced by the family poisoned in the hotel.
http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/10/us/virgin-islands-pesticide-investigation/