
You can't see, smell, or taste carbon monoxide. Without oxygen, cells throughout the body die, and the organs stop working. What makes this gas so dangerous is that when you breathe it, it replaces the oxygen in your blood. Carbon monoxide is a gas produced by burning any type of fuel-gas, oil, kerosene, wood, or charcoal.

See the very useful British study by CO Support and the other studies contained in the section called Chronic CO Poisoning. A body of animal data is also available which is of some value in understanding and predicting human responses. Summaries of some of these dates are seen on this website. This is a subject about which many exciting new data have become available during the past 2 years. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) generally show no lesion, even when psychological/psychiatric and neurologic evaluations may detect functional deficits. More often than not, by the time air CO or blood CO levels are measured, the presence of CO in the environment has been corrected, making measurement impossible. COHb is usually not excessively elevated. Similar symptoms are seen simultaneously in more than one person, and which disappear upon removal from an environment are tip-offs that CO is involved. As stated above, it is often mistaken for chronic fatigue syndrome, viral or bacterial pulmonary or gastrointestinal infection, excessive heat, etc. Patients may occasionally present with polycythemia, increased hematocrit, etc.Ĭhronic CO poisoning is, in fact, difficult to diagnose by those not skilled in its presentation. Chronic CO poisoning is often misdiagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome, a viral or bacterial pulmonary or gastrointestinal infection, a “run-down” condition, immune deficiency, etc. Mucous membranes of the body will almost never be cherry pink. The word chronic should be reserved to describe the type of exposure, not the subsequent condition or effect! A damaging effect of CO poisoning, or in fact, any change which persists, should be referred to as a residual effect.Ĭhronic CO poisoning may not elicit the typical symptoms of (acute) CO poisoning such as headache, nausea, weakness, dizziness, etc. The boundary limit between acute and chronic exposure is indistinct. Exposure usually continues for many days to months.


The Unique Concerns about Contractor Repairs in Your Home.The Purpose of Your Heating and Cooling System.
Chronic carbon monoxide symptoms of how to#
How to Avoid Lessons Learned the Hard Way.Predicting the Cost of Your Home Heating.Making the Case When Your Furnace Doesn’t Make the Grade.

The Crazy Way to Save Yourself From a Problem.Referral Program-Save Money On Your New System.
