David Peterson
Bio 21
Poffenroth
April 27, 2012
Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide (CO in its molecular formula) highly toxic gas composed of an atom of carbon and an atom of oxygen chemically bonded together. Although toxic, CO is very useful in the development of a plethora of chemicals used in various industries, including automotive, construction, chemical agriculture, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, plastics, and textile industries. Carbon monoxide is predominantly formed from the incomplete combustion of materials having carbon. CO, otherwise known as the “silent killer”, is an invisible, non-smelling, and tasteless gas that potentially in high levels, can cause death in humans.
There has been a lot of emphasis on the dangers of carbon monoxide throughout the past decade. Carbon monoxide has been present on this planet since the day that the world was formed. Some speculate that it came about either through volcanic activity or by natural fires taking place. It became a real serious health hazard once the human race had first learned to build a fire. In the present day, fire is utilized vigorously in many things ranging from the comfortable fireplace in a family’s home to sophisticated industrial processes such as the burning of fossil fuels. Each of these products can potentially produce toxic amounts of carbon monoxide if the combustion process is not precise or controlled throughout the progression.
Humanoid sources of carbon monoxide include a number of fuel-burning domestic appliances, including fuel burning stoves, water heaters, and dryers for clothes, heating systems, fireplaces, power generators, and furnaces. Cigarette smoke and the burning of biomass happen to be big factors as well. The incomplete burning of fossil fuels in central combustion engines is also a human cause of carbon monoxide, from that point it is released in an automobile’s exhaust, manufacturing plants exhaust, and the exhaust from industry oxidation of hydrocarbons. Carbon monoxide that is released from an automobile’s exhaust is responsible for roughly a third of all United States carbon monoxide emissions (epa.gov, 2012). Additionally, such vehicle exhaust can characterize up to about ninety-five percent of all carbon monoxide emissions in the cities of the United States (epa.gov, 2012). The natural sources of carbon monoxide include coal mines, forest fires, volcanoes, vegetation, and soil. Places also counted in are areas inundated with water such as swamps, rivers, and the ocean. Atmospheric oxidation of hydrocarbons is also a natural cause of the toxic gas, carbon monoxide.
In the United States of America, carbon monoxide is considered to be the leading cause of death from poisoning other than smoking cigarettes (Baum, 2008). Carbon monoxide is toxic in that it interferes with the transport of oxygen in the human body. Naturally, oxygen fixes itself to a blood protein called hemoglobin, which then disperses all of the oxygen throughout the body. Carbon monoxide has a higher attraction for hemoglobin than does oxygen. As a result, when carbon monoxide is breathed in, it chains itself to hemoglobin, dislodging oxygen or preventing it from binding and in so doing inhibiting the hemoglobin from delivering the oxygen to the red blood cells that need it. Red blood cells contaminated with CO drift uselessly through the blood until they wear out and are demolished. Another way carbon monoxide troubles the human body is by causing a variation in the myelin basic protein. The alteration to the myelin basic protein is understood to create an autoimmune response which eventually leads to long term effects on the brains thinking abilities, such as diminished learning and/or memory. Numerous medical studies are still going on regarding exposure to diverse levels of carbon monoxide. There are so many factors that influence CO's effect on a person's health the results are mostly unsettled at this point in time. It is well documented that the very young and elderly are much more vulnerable to carbon monoxide poisoning then others (Prockop et al., 2007). Persons with high levels of CO in their blood have shown to be more likely to get lung cancer (Gorman et al., 2003). It is documented that carbon monoxide is the second leading cause of lung cancer right behind cigarettes. Individuals with other health problems such as emphysema, asthma, other respiratory problems and citizens that are so called “home bodies” are more highly inclined to be affected by carbon monoxide at even lower levels. In very severe cases CO poising can deplete the tissues of oxygen, bringing about brain damage and/or a heart attack.
Parts per million or (ppm) is how the levels of carbon monoxide are measured. Most individuals won’t have progression of any symptoms from being around CO levels of roughly 1 to 70 ppm. As the levels of CO rise and go on above 70 ppm, symptoms become more perceptible. When CO concentrations are unrelenting at levels above 150 to 200 ppm the humans’ health becomes a very serious issue (Raub, 2002). Symptoms of low focuses of CO can cause loss of breath, minor headaches, slight motion sickness, and can have longer term effects on the human bodies’ well-being. At moderate intensities, this gas poisoning can cause symptoms such as severe headaches, dizziness, mental confusion, nausea, or just a feeble feeling. There is even a possibility of death if these levels continue for an extended amount of time. Hundreds of persons have died by accident from carbon monoxide poisoning each year caused by out of order and/or incorrectly used fuel based appliances (www.fire.ca.gov, 2012). Since several of these symptoms are comparable to ones of a cold, food poisoning, or additional illnesses, many won’t give a thought that carbon monoxide poisoning actually could be the source of their problems.
Poisoning by CO is not a well-known issue but it can be prevented by taking the proper precautions. Carbon monoxide detectors are a reasonably priced and a practical precaution to these very dangers. The Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention Act or Senate Bill 183 requires all single family households with an attached garage or some sort of a fuel burning source inside of it must have carbon monoxide detectors installed within the home which became effective on July 1, 2011 (www.fire.ca.gov, 2012). Owners of multiple family leased residences, such as duplex buildings or condominiums, have to act in accordance with this prevention law by January 1, 2013. Other ways that can help prevent carbon monoxide poisoning include not sitting around in the car while it’s running in the garage and choosing home appliances that vent there fumes.
In conclusion, carbon monoxide is an environmental poison that prevents the blood from carrying oxygen and in some cases can cause death or disability at high levels of exposure. Society needs to be more aware of the toxins in the environment even ones created by some of just the basic household appliances. It is imminent for individuals to learn how to test for levels of carbon monoxide so that one can be better protected. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a real fight against carbon monoxide because to the general public this pollutant comes from things they use on a daily basis. Hopefully in the future with advancements in modern science, emission levels of carbon monoxide can be reduced in the United States.
Literature Cited 1. "Basic Information on IAQ: Carbon Monoxide (CO)." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 28 Feb. 2012. <http://www.epa.gov/iaq/co.html>. 2. Baum, C. "What's New in Pediatric Carbon Monoxide Poisoning?" Clinical Pediatric Emergency Medicine 9.1 (2008): 43-46. 3. "Carbon Monoxide Safety." CAL FIRE. Web. 25 Apr. 2012. <http://www.fire.ca.gov/communications/communications_firesafety_carbonmonoxide.php>. 4. “Cardiovascular Manifestations of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.” Journal of the American College of Cardiology 47: 690-91. 13 Jan. 2006. 5. Gorman, Des, Alison Drewry, Yi Lin Huang, and Chris Sames. "The Clinical Toxicology of Carbon Monoxide." Toxicology 187.1 (2003): 25-38. 6. Prockop, Leon D., and Rossitza I. Chichkova. "Carbon Monoxide Intoxication: An Updated Review." Journal of the Neurological Sciences 262.1-2 (2007): 122-30. 7. Raub, J. A. and V. A. Benignus. “Carbon Monoxide and the Nervous System.” NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS 26(8):925-940, (2002).