Carbon Monoxide Poisoning 

Carbon monoxide is a gas. It is also called CO. You cannot see, smell, or taste it. Burning fuel and car engines give off carbon monoxide. You can get carbon monoxide poisoning if you breathe in too much of this gas. This can be life-threatening. 

Carbon monoxide can be produced in lethal quantities from automobile exhaust, home generators, faulty home heating systems, improperly used portable gas stoves and heaters, and improperly vented wood stoves and fireplaces, just to name a few.

In Nigeria, carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common cause of fatal poisoning most especially amongst users of domestic generators. In fact, high concentrations of carbon monoxide take less than five minutes to get carbon monoxide poisoning. Under lower concentrations, it can take an hour to two hours to cause poisoning.

What are the causes?

When you breathe in the CO gas, it replaces oxygen in your blood. Then, the tissues in your body are not able to get enough oxygen. This can damage the tissues. You can also get CO poisoning from breathing in too much smoke during a fire. It is often caused if the gas builds up in an enclosed space where there is poor air flow. The gas may come from: 

• Car and truck exhaust fumes
• Gas engines
• Stoves and gas ranges
• Wood burning stoves
• Lanterns
• Heating systems or furnaces
• Water heaters
• Chemical or gas space heaters
• Portable generators
• Burning wood or charcoal

What can make this more likely to happen?

CO poisoning happens more often in the cold months. It is also more common if there is no working carbon monoxide detector in the house. It also happens more often if you work at a job where you are around burning fuel or furnaces and there is poor air flow. 

You are more likely to have problems from CO poisoning if you: 

• Are a young child or older person
• Have heart or breathing problems
• Have low red blood cells

What are the main signs?

• Headache
• Upset stomach
• Throwing up and belly pain
• Dizziness
• Shortness of breath or trouble breathing
• Being tired and confused

If you continue to breathe the CO, your signs will get worse. You may have: 

• Muscle problems like weakness and trouble walking
• Chest pain
• Very bad problems breathing and have a very fast heart rate
• Memory problems and more confusion
• Seizures
• Loss of consciousness
• If the levels are very high, you can die from CO poisoning.

How does the doctor diagnose this health problem?

The doctor will do an exam and check for any signs that could mean damage to the brain, heart, and other tissues. The doctor will take a blood sample to test for CO levels. 

How does the doctor treat this health problem?

• Oxygen through a mask
• Ventilator if you are not able to breathe on your own
• Hyperbaric oxygen chamber − Full body pressurized chamber to help get more oxygen into the blood

Are there other health problems to treat?

If CO causes brain or heart damage, these problems will need to be treated. 

What drugs may be needed?

The doctor may order drugs to: 

• Help your heart work better
• Control seizures

What problems could happen?

• Long-lasting brain damage
• Heart damage
• Damage to other tissues such as the kidneys
• Death

What can be done to prevent this health problem?

• Have a CO detector by the sleeping areas in your home. Check that it is working twice a year. Many people do this when changing the clocks in the spring and fall. If the alarm sounds, leave your home and call the fire department or utility company.
• Make sure your appliances are safe.
  • Make sure that gas appliances are vented. Have an expert fix or install any vent pipes. Do not attempt to patch pipes yourself. Vent pipes that run side to side should always be angled up slightly. They should not be level to the floor.
  • Have an expert come to your home every year to check your heating systems. They should also check water heaters, gas appliances, and fireplaces.
• Heat your home safely.
  • Do not use portable chemical heaters indoors. Never use your gas range or oven for heating your home.
  • Never use charcoal, outdoor grills, or portable gas camp heaters indoors.
  • Make sure all fireplaces and stoves are vented. Have your fireplaces cleaned and checked every year. Make sure there are no blocks and the air flows freely.
  • Do not use generators indoors.
• Take extra care with cars and trucks.
  • Have the exhaust system checked each year.
  • Never leave a car running inside a garage with the garage door closed. Open your garage door before starting your engine.
  • If your tailgate is open on your truck, open vents or windows. If only the tailgate is open, exhaust can be pulled into the trunk.

Can you recover from carbon monoxide poisoning on your own?

If you have a mild case of CO poisoning, you’ll feel better just by going outside and breathing fresh air. More severe cases may require treatment with pure oxygen or hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).

How to reduce carbon monoxide from vehicle exhaust?

To reduce emission of carbo monoxide, catalytic converters have been developed in most cars. Unfortunately, hoodlums tend to remove this important component from vehicles thus subjecting the vehicles to serious carbon monoxide exhaustion.

What removes carbon monoxide from the air?

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a harmful air pollutant. Several CO removals methods, such as catalytic converters have been developed.

MKO Abimbola holds a doctor­al degree in physician associate studies from the United States of America. He is a Harvard Medical School scholar. He spe­cializes in Internal medicine, Acute care, Emergency Med­icine, Geriatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgical services.