Carbon monoxide (CO), a very simple molecule consisting of a single carbon and a single oxygen atom, primarily enters the air as a gaseous by-product of the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbon fuels, such as petrol and diesel.
In major urban areas, automotive traffic is responsible for up to 95% of CO emissions. CO disperses quickly in the air, so moderate and high levels of the gas are usually detected in areas with significant motor vehicle traffic or in enclosed spaces where it may accumulate.
Since 1978, researchers have done studies on in-car CO concentration. They discovered that the average CO levels inside cars with windows up were almost the same as those with windows down, regardless of whether vents were opened or closed, proving that cars are not 100% air-tight (these were the days when air-con was not prevalent in cars).
A 1987 research found that in-car CO levels were up to 7 times that of ambient CO levels due to recirculation by the air-conditioning system.
CO is highly toxic and potentially deadly to humans and animals. Incidents in which people commit suicide by intentionally exposing themselves to high levels of CO in car exhaust have received significant coverage in the media.
Acute CO poisoning occurs when inhaled CO combines with haemoglobin in the bloodstream, thereby preventing the haemoglobin from supplying oxygen to the brain, heart and other bodily organs and tissues.
Low levels of CO, relative to levels of oxygen, in inhaled air can prove highly toxic as CO combines with haemoglobin 200 to 230 times more readily than it does oxygen. On top of that, CO can alter haemoglobin such that it is no longer able to deliver oxygen to tissues and organs.
CO has no colour, taste nor smell. Moderate exposure to CO may produce flu-like symptoms – headaches, dizziness and weakness – in healthy people. Therefore, many people who suffer non-fatal exposure to CO probably remain unaware that they have been exposed to the gas.
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Article 0 - Introduction
In major urban areas, automotive traffic is responsible for up to 95% of CO emissions. CO disperses quickly in the air, so moderate and high levels of the gas are usually detected in areas with significant motor vehicle traffic or in enclosed spaces where it may accumulate.
Since 1978, researchers have done studies on in-car CO concentration. They discovered that the average CO levels inside cars with windows up were almost the same as those with windows down, regardless of whether vents were opened or closed, proving that cars are not 100% air-tight (these were the days when air-con was not prevalent in cars).
A 1987 research found that in-car CO levels were up to 7 times that of ambient CO levels due to recirculation by the air-conditioning system.
CO is highly toxic and potentially deadly to humans and animals. Incidents in which people commit suicide by intentionally exposing themselves to high levels of CO in car exhaust have received significant coverage in the media.
Acute CO poisoning occurs when inhaled CO combines with haemoglobin in the bloodstream, thereby preventing the haemoglobin from supplying oxygen to the brain, heart and other bodily organs and tissues.
Low levels of CO, relative to levels of oxygen, in inhaled air can prove highly toxic as CO combines with haemoglobin 200 to 230 times more readily than it does oxygen. On top of that, CO can alter haemoglobin such that it is no longer able to deliver oxygen to tissues and organs.
CO has no colour, taste nor smell. Moderate exposure to CO may produce flu-like symptoms – headaches, dizziness and weakness – in healthy people. Therefore, many people who suffer non-fatal exposure to CO probably remain unaware that they have been exposed to the gas.
Links to Previous Articles:
Article 0 - Introduction
