What are the medical effects of carbon monoxide?
Carbon monoxide inhibits the bloods ability to carry oxygen to body tissues including vital organs such as the heart and brain. When CO is inhaled, it combines with the oxygen carrying hemoglobin of the blood to form carboxyhemoglobin. Once combined with the hemoglobin, that hemoglobin is no longer available for transporting oxygen. How quickly the carboxyhemoglobin builds up is a factor of the concentration being breathed (measured in parts per million or PPM) and the duration of the exposure. Aggravating the effects of the exposure is the long half-life of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood. Half-life is a measure of how quickly levels return to normal. The half-life of carboxyhemoglobin is approximately 5 hours. This means that for a given exposure level, it will take about 5 hours for it to drop to half its current level once the exposure is terminated. How to recognize the effects of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide poisoning is often confused with “flu like symptoms” such as headache
