Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide poisons thousands every year – and there are no good treatments

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has been thought to prevent some of the undesirable effects of carbon monoxide exposure and lessen the risk of further damage, as it is comparatively quicker at removing carboxyhaemoglobin than standard oxygen therapy. But its practical application has been limited by the time between diagnosis and treatment.

How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, winter's odorless killer

When you burn something, whether it’s wood in the fire, charcoal on the grill, or gas in your garage, it emits some amount of carbon monoxide, or CO. Colorless, odorless, and tasteless, this gas is completely undetectable—and it’s responsible for up to half of all accidental poisonings in the world.

Carbon monoxide exposure in homes is a risk – here’s how to protect yourself

Symptoms of CO poisoning can be mistaken for the flu, and include dizziness, headaches, malaise and nausea. Potentially susceptible groups include the elderly, people with health conditions, children, pregnant women and their unborn babies. CO is the most abundant pollutant (measured by mass) in the atmosphere.

Carbon Monoxide Is Toxic, but Could It Treat Tissue Damage?

Carbon monoxide is a poison. Can it also be a medicine? Dr. Augustine Choi has spent two decades trying to figure that out. And he’s inching toward a surprising answer: yes.

Carbon Monoxide Poisonings Spike After Big Storms. Portable Generators Are A Culprit

At certain levels, just five minutes of carbon monoxide exposure is enough to be fatal. The colorless, odorless gas is produced wherever fuel is burned and can build to deadly levels especially quickly in enclosed spaces. Portable generators, whose engines each emit as much carbon monoxide as approximately 450 cars, are especially common culprits.

Deadly Convenience: Keyless Cars and Their Carbon Monoxide Toll

Weaned from using a key, drivers have left cars running in garages, spewing exhaust into homes. Despite years of deaths, regulatory action has lagged.

How to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, winter's odorless killer

When the furnace turns on, the risk increases.

The Deaths That Come When an Industry's Left to Regulate Itself

Portable generators release more carbon monoxide—which is particularly dangerous because it is odorless and invisible—than most cars. As a result, the devices can kill efficiently and quickly, though accidentally.

Is 'Hookah Sickness' Just Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?

That weird feeling you get from smoking too much hookah might be something worse than a nicotine rush.

Carbon monoxide is toxic. This doctor is out to prove it’s also therapeutic

Carbon monoxide is a poison. Can it also be a medicine? Dr. Augustine Choi has spent two decades trying to figure that out. And he’s inching toward a surprising answer: yes. Most of the research so far has been conducted in animals; just a few early-stage clinical trials are underway in patients. But the data look promising enough that several companies — including one Choi cofounded — are jumping into the field, developing ways to deliver small amounts of carbon monoxide to damaged tissues through pills, lotions, beverages, and inhalable gas.

Carbon Monoxide, A Silent Killer: Are You Safe At Home?

Still, relying on people voluntarily using the alarms isn’t working – the CDC reports that only 30% of American homes have functioning carbon monoxide alarms. And while alarm installation may be more common in states, such as North Carolina where their use is mandated, many homes still don’t have them.

Here's Why Carbon Monoxide Is So Dangerous

So, how is it possible for air containing 1 percent of carbon monoxide to cause hypoxia, even when there may be plenty of oxygen around? It is simple chemistry: Carbon monoxide loves to stick (bind) to iron. This also means that it also loves to bind to hemoglobin, the iron-based protein that is responsible for distributing oxygen throughout the body. The affinity of CO to hemoglobin is so strong that the gas binds 240 times more tightly to than does oxygen.

Low levels of carbon monoxide poisoning can be very difficult to spot – and can cause brain damage

Carbon monoxide (CO), like many gases, cannot be detected by our human senses. We cannot see it, smell it or taste it. But unlike many gases, small amounts are extremely harmful to us.

While You Were Sleeping

The fact is that we tend, in general, to be too often too careless about carbon monoxide.

The Lauren Project

Motivated by the death of Lauren Moilien Johnson, the mission of The LAUREN Project is twofold: to prevent similar tragedies by providing carbon monoxide detectors to those in need; and to provide grants to persons who have been selected to participate in nonprofit volunteer programs.

Carbon Monoxide Headquarters

The Most Complete Website on Carbon Monoxide Toxicology in the World.

Carbon Monoxide Kills

This site was developed to help everyone understand the dangers of carbon monoxide.

The Carbon Monoxide and Gas Safety Society

CO-Gas Safety is an independent registered charity which works to try to reduce accidents from Carbon Monoxide (CO) poisoning and other gas dangers. We lobby for changes, which will help to achieve this. We also help and advise victims whenever we can.

Carbon Monoxide Safety Association

The Carbon Monoxide Safety Association looks forward to medical research conducted on Carbon Monoxide in the human body. This is all ground breaking stuff. It wasn’t that long ago that the most you heard about carbon monoxide was that it became deadly at 400 PPM when a healthy adult was exposed for a few hours at this concentration...

CDC

CDC works with national and state data sources to monitor, evaluate, and present information on carbon-monoxide-related illness and death in the U.S.

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Many people with CO poisoning mistake their symptoms for the flu or are misdiagnosed by physicians, which sometimes results in tragic deaths.

Family Practice Notebook

CO Poisoning is the Leading cause of toxin related death in United States.

MedlinePlus

It is often hard to tell if someone has CO poisoning, because the symptoms may be like those of other illnesses. People who are sleeping or intoxicated can die from CO poisoning before they have symptoms. A CO detector can warn you if you have high levels of CO in your home.

NHS

Incorrectly installed, poorly maintained or poorly ventilated household appliances – such as cookers, heaters and central heating boilers – are the most common sources of carbon monoxide. Blocked flues and chimneys can also prevent carbon monoxide escaping, allowing it to reach dangerous levels. The risk of carbon monoxide poisoning can occur at any time, in any home or enclosed space.