Exposure health
effects of Carbon Monoxide - CO
Carbon monoxide is a odorless, tasteless, colorless and
toxic gas.
Carbon monoxide is produced as a by-product of combustion.
Any combustion process, fuel burning appliance, vehicle or other device has the
potential to produce carbon monoxide gas.
Carbon monoxide is dangerous because it inhibits the blood's
ability to carry oxygen to vital organs such as the heart and brain. Inhaled CO
combines with the oxygen carrying hemoglobin of the blood and forms
carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) which is unusable for transporting oxygen.
Health effects of various concentration of carbon monoxide :
xposure
(hours) |
CO Concentration
(ppm)1 |
||
Perceptible
|
Sickness3)
|
Deadly4)
|
|
0.5
|
600
|
1000
|
2000
|
1
|
200
|
600
|
1600
|
2
|
100
|
300
|
1000
|
4
|
50
|
150
|
400
|
6
|
25
|
120
|
200
|
8
|
252)
|
100
|
150
|
1) ppm - parts per million - is defined as the mass
of the component in solution divided by the total mass of the solution
multiplied by 106 (one million)
2) The maximum exposure allowed by OSHA in the
workplace over an eight hour period is 35 ppm.
3) Typical sickness symptoms are mild headache,
fatigue, nausea and dizziness.
4) A CO concentration of 12-13000 ppm is deadly
after 1-3 minutes. A CO concentration of 1600 ppm is deadly after one hour
Concentration of
CO in the air (ppm) |
Inhalation Time
|
Toxic Symptoms
|
9
|
Short term exposure
|
recommended maximum allowable
concentration in living area.
|
35
|
8 hours
|
The maximum exposure allowed by OSHA in the workplace over
an eight hour period.
|
200
|
2-3 hours
|
Slight headache, tiredness, fatigue, nausea and dizziness.
|
400
|
1-2 hours
|
Serious headache-other symptoms intensify.
Life threatening after 3 hours. |
800
|
45 minutes
|
Dizziness, nausea and convulsions.
Unconscious within 2 hours. Death after 2-3 hours. |
1,600
|
20 minutes
|
Headache, dizziness and nausea.
Death within 1 hour. |
3,200
|
5-10 minutes
|
Headache, dizziness, nausea.
Death within 1 hour. |
6,400
|
1-2 minutes
|
Headache, dizziness, nausea.
Death within 25-30 minutes. |
12,800
|
1-3 minutes
|
Death within 1-3 minutes
|
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