Carbon Monoxide
Carbon Monoxide is a colorless, odorless, highly poisonous gas, CO, formed by the
incomplete combustion of carbon or a carbonaceous material, such as
gasoline. Carbon monoxide enters the blood stream rapidly and combines with
haemoglobin to form carboxyhaemoglobin, a relatively stable compound,
which reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood. The affinity of
haemoglobin for carbon monoxide is about 230 times its affinity for
oxygen. High blood carbon monoxide levels reduce the ability to perform
aerobic activities and impair attention. It is toxic because it binds to hemoglobin in blood much more strongly than does oxygen and thus interferes with transport of oxygen from lungs to tissues (see hypoxia; respiration). Symptoms of CO poisoning range from headache, nausea, and syncope to coma, weak pulse, respiratory failure, and death.
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