Bahamas - 3 American Tourists Dead, 1 Hospitalized, Sandals Emerald Bay Resort, May 7, 2022

[realanastasia]

Florida man pictured in Bahamas days before he died

Vincent Chiarella, 64, from Panama in Florida, died Friday morning at Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma while on vacation with his wife Donnis, 64.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[FlossyMay]

Florida man pictured in Bahamas days before he died

Vincent Chiarella, 64, from Panama in Florida, died Friday morning at Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma while on vacation with his wife Donnis, 64.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Austin said: 'She woke up and my dad was laying there on the floor, and she couldn't move.

'Her legs and arms was swollen and she couldn't move and she screamed to get someone to come in the door.'

It also says the woman is covered in rashes.

 

[Herat]

That DM article mentions that the Chiarella's arrived to find the air conditioner in their unit was not working and the staff was working on it.

The two couples who fell ill were described as being in two villas, but its unclear if this was two units in the same buildling servded by the same A/C unit or if they were two separate buildings with two separate A/C units. I'd think they were likely two different A/C units.

 

[DBLG]

This is so sad. I think the symptoms sound like Toxic Shock Syndrome or a severe form of food poisoning possibly from fish or other bacteria in tainted food/water. The rash and the swollen limbs of the survivor sound like some type of bacteria or system wide bodily reaction to toxin. I am not a doctor. IMO

 

[scriabina]

From the DailyMail, a man staying right next door to the couple who died:

“It was hard to sleep last night — every time the a/c came on, I woke up... We’re continuing our vacation because that’s what I would want people to do if I were to have been one who died ..."

Wow, I would be OUT of that hotel the moment I found out this happened. No way in hell would I stick around.

Those AC units might indeed use Freon, AKA R22, which is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). While CFCs have been banned for years due to the environmental harm they cause, the use of recycled, recovered or reclaimed refrigerant is still allowed to service existing HVAC systems. Perhaps they added a refrigerant to the AC while servicing the unit which caused the toxicity. R22 can cause pulmonary edema (fluid buildup in lungs) which can in turn lead to death. They can also irritate then skin and cause burns (perhaps the "rash" that was reported).

However, CFCs don't typically cause paralysis or convulsions as reported in these cases. If the survivor indeed suffered from paralysis as her son noted, then that points more to organophosphate (OP) poisoning. Acetylcholine builds up and causes overstimulation leading to convulsions or paralysis. OPs are found in insecticides and cause on average ~200,000 deaths per year. It's a shame these harmful insecticides are used as they are bad for both the environment and for people!

 

[Herat]

From the DailyMail, a man staying right next door to the couple who died:

“It was hard to sleep last night — every time the a/c came on, I woke up... We’re continuing our vacation because that’s what I would want people to do if I were to have been one who died ..."

Wow, I would be OUT of that hotel the moment I found out this happened. No way in hell would I stick around.

Those AC units might indeed use Freon, AKA R22, which is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). While CFCs have been banned for years due to the environmental harm they cause, the use of recycled, recovered or reclaimed refrigerant is still allowed to service existing HVAC systems. Perhaps they added a refrigerant to the AC while servicing the unit which caused the toxicity. R22 can cause pulmonary edema (fluid buildup in lungs) which can in turn lead to death. They can also irritate then skin and cause burns (perhaps the "rash" that was reported).

However, CFCs don't typically cause paralysis or convulsions as reported in these cases. If the survivor indeed suffered from paralysis as her son noted, then that points more to organophosphate (OP) poisoning. Acetylcholine builds up and causes overstimulation leading to convulsions or paralysis. OPs are found in insecticides and cause on average ~200,000 deaths per year. It's a shame these harmful insecticides are used as they are bad for both the environment and for people!

I agree completely.

The symptoms sound very much more like the pesticide injuries and fatalities. Like the methyl bromide poisonings in St. Johns.

I just don't think Freon toxicity is like this.

I also think the hotel chain is likely to want to shift the liability to a big company, like Dupont, which owns The Chemours Company that manufactures Freon.

The Big Three Refrigerant Manufacturers - Refrigerant HQ

Chances are you have heard of most of these companies, but I thought I would do a quick overview on where the majority of your refrigerants are being

refrigeranthq.com

 

[Herat]

Now there are reports that there was a "strong smell of insecticide" at Sandals resort.

The symptoms sound much more like pesticide poisoning than Freon poisoning.

Sandals Bahamas guests complained of odor where Americans found dead

Guests at Sandals Emerald Bay resort in Great Exuma where three Americans were found dead say they complained about a 'strong odor' of insecticide there which has been reported to police

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[azure]

Now there are reports that there was a "strong smell of insecticide" at Sandals resort.

The symptoms sound much more like pesticide poisoning than Freon poisoning.

Sandals Bahamas guests complained of odor where Americans found dead

Guests at Sandals Emerald Bay resort in Great Exuma where three Americans were found dead say they complained about a 'strong odor' of insecticide there which has been reported to police

www.dailymail.co.uk

This is really shocking. Sandals resorts are owned by a huge multinational company and are known as luxury resorts. I wonder who might be responsible for pesticides in fatal quantities in rooms (if true). Surely management of a ~$500 per night resort would know better or at least respond better to guest complaints?

 

[Boo2007]

Update from Nassau Guardian. Article is pretty thin on details....

REPORT: Carbon Monoxide killed American Visitors

REPORT: Carbon monoxide killed American visitors

The American tourists who were found dead in villas at Sandals Emerald Bay resort on Exuma earlier this month, died from carbon monoxide poisoning, The Nassau Guardian understands. The pathologist

thenassauguardian.com

 

[Marg from Oz]

I'm glad they are getting a second opinion. If in fact it is carbon monoxide do their relatives gat to sue the resort?

 

[FlossyMay]

I wasn't expecting that to be honest.

 

[JMapes]

Update from Nassau Guardian. Article is pretty thin on details....

REPORT: Carbon Monoxide killed American Visitors

REPORT: Carbon monoxide killed American visitors

The American tourists who were found dead in villas at Sandals Emerald Bay resort on Exuma earlier this month, died from carbon monoxide poisoning, The Nassau Guardian understands. The pathologist

thenassauguardian.com

Huh, from what I know, CO poisoning can indeed cause seizures (these individuals, who were treated and released from the local medical center the day before their deaths did report they had been "convulsing") but seizures from carbon monoxide poisoning indicate a severe intoxication in CO poisoning...This is something you'd need immediate medical treatment for, likely through use of a hyperbaric oxygen chamber (they are in-use in the Bahamas, so it's not like they were being sent back to Sandals to die due to of lack of appropriate medical intervention available).

Being released from the hospital on the same day as severe CO poisoning seems incredibly unlikely. If it was acute CO poisoning, it was hugely missed & something they could have been treated for, and lived.

I know CO poisoning can have some pretty alarming cognitive effects, but would they appear as quickly as these other symptoms? Would a patient be awake, alert and at a reasonable mental functioning capacity after severe CO poisoning?

CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like.” (headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion)

I am trying to make a connection between symptoms reported and those of acute CO poisoning (and those of the flu) but it just doesn't seem to match up. Paralysis, convulsions, swelling of the legs? I think we're all lucky we haven't come down with that kind of flu yet.

Eagerly awaiting the results of the second opinion. This has to be so hard for their families. MOO.

 

[moonriverfarm]

This resort is not the nicest of the Sandals properties, nor the newest. It may have to shut down if the lawsuits happen.

 

[moslym3]

I guess a carbon monoxide detector is something i have to add to my packing list. I've heard this too many times...

 

[Boo2007]

This resort is not the nicest of the Sandals properties, nor the newest. It may have to shut down if the lawsuits happen.

I would think they will have trouble in the future...especially with the lack of transparency... here is an article from today with some updates. Focus on the paragraph where they say it was an isolated incident. They say what is wasn't, but no where that I can see do they say what it *was.* Was it a stand-alone A/C unit? Hot Water heater? Where did the CO2 come from?

Bahamas Sandals deaths: Resort installs carbon monoxide detectors after 3 Americans found dead​

....""Despite initial speculation, Bahamian authorities have concluded the cause was an isolated incident in one standalone structure that housed two individual guest rooms and was in no way linked to the resort’s air conditioning system, food and beverage service, landscaping services or foul play," Sandals said in a statement..."

Bahamas Sandals deaths: Resort installs carbon monoxide detectors after 3 Americans found dead

Sandals says carbon monoxide detectors will be placed in all of its resorts in the Caribbean after three American tourists were found dead in the Bahamas resort.

www.foxnews.com

 

[roche.analisa]

Carbon monoxide killed 3 Americans found dead at Bahamas resort, police say

The Royal Bahamas Police Force said the investigation into the deadly May incident was still active.

www.today.com