Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colourless, odourless, and tasteless flammable gass that is slightly less dense than air. It is toxic to animals that use hemoglobin as oxygen carrier (both invertebrate and vertebrate) when encountered in concentrations above about 35 ppm, although it is also produced in normal animal metabolism in low quantities, and is thought to have some normal biological functions. In the atmosphere, it is spatially variable and short-lived, having a role in the formation fo ground-level ozone.

Carbon monoxide effects on health

The most common symptoms of CO poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. CO symptoms are often described as “flu-like”. If you breathe in a lot of CO it can make you pass out or kill you. People who are sleeping drunk can die from CO poisoning before they have symptoms.

Carbon monoxide is produced when fuels such as gas, oil, coal and wood do not burn fully. Burning charcoal, running cars and the smoe from cigarettes also produce carbon monoxide gas. Gas, oil, coal and wood are sources of fuel used in many household appliances, including:

• boilers
• gas fires
• central heating systems
• water heaters
• cookers
• open fires