Carbon monoxide health effects

National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Under the Clean Air Act, six criterion pollutants, ie, pollutants of special concern, have been estabhshed by the EPA sulfur oxides (SO ), particulates, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NO ), o2one (photochemical oxidants), and lead. National Ambient Air QuaUty Standards (NAAQS) were developed by EPA based on threshold levels of air pollution below which no adverse effects could be experienced on human health or the environment. 

The effect of accumulation in various systems depends greatly on the quantity of pollutants involved. Many pollutants can be detected at concentrations lower than those necessary to affect human health. For pollutants which are eliminated slowly, individuals can be monitored over long periods of time to detect trends in body burden the results of these analyses can then be related to total pollutant exposure. Following are two examples of air pollutants that contribute to the total body burden for lead and carbon monoxide. 

Carbon monoxide Vehicle exhaust and other combustion processes Adverse health effects... 

Ettema JH, Zielhuis RL, Burer E, et al. 1975. Effects of alcohol, carbon monoxide and trichloroethylene on mental capacity. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 35 117-132. 

Hugod, C. 1979. Effect of exposure to 0.5 ppm hydrogen cyanide singly or combined with 200 ppm carbon monoxide and/or 5 ppm nitric oxide on coronary arteries, aorta, pulmonary artery, and lungs in the rabbit. Int. Arch. Occup. Environ. Health 44 13-23. 

EPA. 1990f. Unvented kerosene heater emissions from mobile homes Studies on indoor air particles, semi-volatile organics, carbon monoxide, and mutagenicity. Research Triangle Park, NC U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Health Effects Research Laboratory. Report no. EPA/600/D-90/122. 

The health effects of carbon monoxide are among the most thoroughly studied and best understood of any air pollutant. The risks posed by the gas (as for all pollutants) vary on the basis of two factors the concentration to which one is exposed and the length of time the exposure lasts. That is, the most dangerous conditions are those in which a person is exposed to large concentrations of carbon monoxide for long periods. A lesser risk is involved when the exposure is to lower concentrations of the gas for shorter periods. 

The primary health effect of nitric oxide results from its tendency to react with hemoglobin in red blood cells, in much the same way as carbon monoxide does. The concentration of nitric oxide is normally so low, however, that this effect is relatively minor, especially compared with the effects of carbon monoxide exposure. 

Exposure to air pollutants can have adverse effects on human health. Exposure to one such pollutant, carbon monoxide, can result in which of the following conditions ... 

The emphasis on environmental protection in the last three decades, as industrial and economic growth gave birth to many forms of pollution threatening human health and Earth ecosystems, resulted in the growth of environmental catalysis. So, catalysts ate not only used to promote processes in the production field, but also to reduce the emissions of undesirable or hazardous compounds to the environment. For example, catalytic combustion has been proposed and developed as an effective method for controlling the emissions of hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. 

The health effects of carbon monoxide make it a primary air pollutant. The federal government has established national standards for CO to protect the general population from this toxic gas. The national standard is 9 ppm (parts per million) averaged over 8 hours or 35 ppm averaged over 1 hour. Table 23.1 summarizes the health effects associated with different CO concentrations. 

A. There are no known health problems from oral Salvia use. However, it is known that smoking tobacco is damaging to your lungs and may cause cancer, emphysema, bronchitis, stroke and cardiovascular disease. These toxic side-effects of tobacco smoking are not due mainly to nicotine but rather to combustion products (tars and carbon monoxide), which are present whenever any type of plant material (e.g. Salvia) is smoked. Common sense will tell you that smoking Salvia, or any material, can be bad for your health. It is not known if Salvia can cause birth defects, but it is prudent to assume that it could. 

One hemoglobin adduct, carboxyhemoglobin, is a special case in that it is both an indicator of exposure and an effect. Carboxyhemoglobin is the key biochemical derangement caused by carbon monoxide, so its concentration is directly related to health risk. For other biomarkers that utilize hemoglobin adducts, hemoglobin is not the biochemical target. 

Most of the applications of CO gas in medicine are for short-term treatments, often associated with surgery. The carbon monoxide is breathed as a mixture with air, usually at around 250 ppm. There is currently uncertainty about what level of CO gas concentration can be administered safely. The American Environmental Protection Agency gives 330 ppm as the maximum 60 min exposure at the AEGL3 level where greater exposure could result in life-threatening health effects or death. This comes down to 150 ppm at 4 h exposure [235]. In... 

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