Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

What Is Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?

Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs after enough inhalation of carbon monoxide (CO).

Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, but, being colorless, odorless, tasteless, and initially non-irritating, it is very difficult for people to detect.

When too much carbon monoxide is in the air, the body replaces the oxygen in one’s red blood cells with carbon monoxide. This can lead to serious tissue damage, or even death.

Exposure to carbon monoxide may be particularly dangerous for:

Unborn babies.

Fetal blood cells take up carbon monoxide more readily than adult blood cells do. This makes unborn babies more susceptible to harm from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Young children take breaths more frequently than adults do, which may make them more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning.

Older adults.

Older people who experience carbon monoxide poisoning may be more likely to develop brain damage.

Causes Of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning:

Carbon monoxide poisoning is caused by inhaling combustion fumes.

Sources of carbon monoxide include:

cigarette smoke
house fires
faulty furnaces,
Heaters
wood-burning stoves
internal combustion vehicle exhaust
electrical generators
propane-fueled equipment such as portable stoves
gasoline-powered tools such as:

leaf blowers
lawn mowers
high-pressure washers
concrete cutting saws
power trowels
Welders

Poisoning may also occur:

Following the use of a self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) due to faulty diving air compressors.
Riding inpickup trucks
Idling automobiles with the exhaust pipe blocked by snow
Generators and propulsion engines on boats, especially houseboats
by exposure to the organic solventdichloromethane, found in some paint strippers