What is CO Poisioning ?
Carbon monoxide is an odorless, colourless, tasteless gas produced by burning gasoline, wood, propane, charcoal and other fuels. Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when carbon monoxide builds up in your bloodstream. When too much of carbon monoxide is in the air, your body replaces the oxygen in your red blood cells with carbon monoxide. This can lead to serious tissue damage, or even death.
How carbon monoxide poisoning occurs?
Normally oxygen is transported from lungs to cells in red blood cells. This process occurs when oxygen atoms bond to an iron atom at the center of a complex protein molecule known as oxyhemoglobin. Oxyhemoglobin is a fairly unstable molecule that decomposes in the inter-cellular spaces to release free oxygen and hemoglobin. The oxygen is then available to carry out metabolic reactions in cells, reactions from which the body obtains energy.
If carbon monoxide is present in lungs, this sequence is disrupted. Carbon monoxide bonds with iron in hemoglobin to form carbonmonoxyhemoglobin. When it reaches cells, it has much less tendency to break down, but continues to circulate in the blood stream in its bound form.
As a result, cells are unable to obtain the oxygen they need for metabolism and energy production drastically.
Symptoms
The symptoms of carbon monoxide are manifestations of above mentioned changes. The most common symptoms are
- Headache
- Weakness
- Nausea
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Difficulty Breathing
Everyone is exposed to small amounts of carbon monoxide throughout the day. But inhaling too much can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. Improperly ventilated appliances and engines particularly in tightly sealed or enclosed space, may allow Carbon monoxide to accumulate at dangerous levels.
Effects
Depending on the degree and length of exposure carbon monoxide poisoning can cause:
- Permanent brain damage.
- Damage to your heart, possibly to life threatening cardiac complications.
- Fetal death or miscarriage
- In serious cases it also causes death
The warning signs of carbon monoxide poisoning can be mild or less severe. But the condition is a life threatening medical emergency. If anyone is exposed to Carbon monoxide, get into fresh air and immediate medical care. Often we only focus on physical effects of Carbon monoxide poisoning, let us try to focus on psychological effects.
Personality changes may occur, and studies have described depression, anxiety and irritability. Residual cognitive deficits, executive dysfunction and impairments in memory and concentration may all contribute to deterioration in mood.
Long term exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can also lead to neurological symptoms such as:
- Difficulty in thinking or concentrating
- Frequent emotional changes, for example: becoming easily irritable, depressed or making impulsive or irrational decisions.
Several studies have established a link between continuous carbon monoxide exposure to miscarriages, delusions, hallucinations.
How to Prevent Carbon monoxide poisoning?
- First ensure that there is plenty of ventilation in areas with appliances that burn gas, wood, propane or other fuel.
- Buy a carbon monoxide detector and keep changing batteries.
- Do not fall asleep or sit for a long time in an idling car that is an enclosed space.
- Do not sleep near gas or kerosene heat.
If you think you cannot get carbon monoxide poisioning while at home , dont be mistaken. In conclusion, PLANT MORE TREES!
