Carbon Monoxide - The Silent Killer

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is called “the silent killer” for a reason, people can just slip away to sleep within minutes and never awaken again. In fact, it has killed more people than any other single poison. It is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and is highly toxic. It comes from many sources, but the primary source is through the burning of carbon-based materials. Other natural sources of CO are volcanic eruptions, wildfires and leaching gases from the soil. Humans also create CO when they burn carbon materials such as oil, gas, wood, paper, or any other fuels with a base in carbon. 

There are common misconceptions about CO, which should be noted. Many believe that it is only dangerous in the winter, but we still burn when we cook or heat water, so this would be untrue. Some people think it’s only when using gas appliances that we are at risk, but all fossil fuels such as oil, coal, gas and LPG can create CO. Traffic and industries do produce it, but you are more apt to be affected at home, and just because you own your home and service your own appliances, doesn’t mean you’re safe. These things can become defective or break down without warning, so never rely solely on maintenance. Detectors are great and everyone should have one, but they are only really useful if they can pick up low-levels of the gas.

The uptake of CO into the human body can kill quickly, but can do so slowly as well, depending on the levels and amounts inhaled. Inhaling low levels of CO has the potential for causing adverse affects to a person’s health, especially for those with coronary artery disease. It does so by competing with oxygen in binding to hemoglobin, which is the protein that transports the oxygen through our bloodstream and on to our tissues and cells. Without it, our muscles don’t contract. It also affects other bodily functions, which include the heart and brain. It basically starves vital organs!

If the levels of CO have been intermittent with the poisoning caught in time, there is hope for survival and the poisoning can be reversed. Catching it is not as simple as one might think, the symptoms of CO poisoning are often mistaken for the flu, causing headaches, higher blood pressure, or some other non-specific common ailment. Someone could go on with symptoms for quite a long period of time without realizing they are being exposed. If one is exposed only at work, only in their car, or only at home in low-levels, symptoms could be dismissed, but eventually the exposed person would experience neurological and organ damage or die. The key is to connecting the dots and seeking immediate treatment.

First, a doctor will check the levels of CO in the blood, then figure out where they are being exposed and avoid that area. A CO poisoned person then usually is put on basic life support and oxygen replacement. If the poisoning was mild, the person will usually make a full recovery, but in cases of severe CO poisoning, up to 50 percent of people will go on to have long-term health issues, such as poor concentration and memory. They may also experience urinary incontinence and coronary heart disease after years of low exposure.

Higher concentrations of CO can cause excitation, which is followed by depression and can affect respiratory function. At a concentration of 7.5 percent, people feel as if they cannot breathe, their pulse can increase; they get headaches, sweating, dizziness, restlessness, visual distortion, and disorientation. Within 20 minutes they become irritable and uncomfortable in their own skin and the heart is affected. Workers who have been briefly exposed to very high concentrations of CO had damage to their retinas causing a sensitivity to light, constrictions in their visual fields, blind spots and abnormal eye movements. Prolonged exposure with lesser concentrations of CO, caused decreased night vision and color sensitivity. Tests have shown that there may even be some increase in the amount of bone tissue in the skull, ribs, lumbar vertebrae, and stemal segments; while the cortex of the femur shafts show thinning, and an expansion of marrow cavities occurs in the parietal bones, ribs and femurs.

There are simple things people can do to protect themselves from the danger of CO poisoning. The first and possibly most important is to purchase a home/office low-level CO detector. A detector is your first line of defense and will alert you if CO levels get to a dangerous level. Make sure it is located lower to the floor than a fire alarm would be, as CO is heavier and begins to build closer to the floor. It is also important to make sure your gas lines are maintained and that there are no leaks, this includes all of your appliances. Make sure your fireplace or woodstove chimney is cleaned annually and never run your car while the garage door is closed. There are also kits that can be purchased that will show you what the levels of CO are in your office or home. Finally, if you have unexplainable symptoms, get tested. An early diagnosis could save your life.

• Indoor Air Quality Protect Your Family and Yourself from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.

• Medline Plus Carbon Monoxide Poisoning – symptoms of CO poisoning.

• Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Fact Sheet - What is carbon monoxide?

• U.S. Fire Administration Includes topical information and links of interest.

• National Fire Protection Assoc. What is carbon monoxide and why is considered dangerous?

• The Danger Of Carbon Monoxide Information on symptoms, sources, prevention, detection, and treatment of carbon monoxide poisoning.

• Carbon Monoxide Network Includes a forum, news, legal advice, detectors and a kills campaign.

• Iowa State University Cold weather increases carbon monoxide hazards from cars.

• Earth Observatory Colorless, odorless, and poisonous, carbon monoxide is one of the six major air pollutants regulated in the United States.

• Consumer Product Safety Commission Carbon Monoxide Detectors Can Save Lives – Recommendations for home safety.

• Occupational Safety This guideline summarizes pertinent information about carbon monoxide for workers and employers, as well as for physicians, industrial hygienists, etc.

1 (877) 810-8240