Carbon Monoxide Injury & Death
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, tasteless gas usually produced by combustion (the burning of fuel; e.g., gasoline, natural gas, oil, wood).
The most common sources of carbon monoxide are motor vehicles, furnaces, water heaters, fireplaces, woodstoves and various internal combustion engines.
Carbon monoxide is dangerous when inhaled because carbon monoxide molecules bond with hemoglobin in the blood over 200 times more easily than oxygen molecules. Oxygen is vital to proper functioning of the major organs and muscles of the body. When carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the blood, the body is deprived of oxygen. Oxygen deprivation can cause alteration or loss of consciousness, organ damage, brain damage, coma and death.
The symptoms of mild carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, stuffiness, fatigue, dizziness, and drowsiness. Because these symptoms are the same as for colds and flu, carbon monoxide poisoning is often not diagnosed, but mistakenly attributed to cold or flu.
The symptoms of moderate carbon monoxide poisoning include those of mild poisoning plus alteration or loss of consciousness.
The symptoms of severe carbon monoxide poisoning include those of mild and moderate poisoning plus cardiovascular problems, seizure, coma and death.
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