Carbon Monoxide: The Silent Killer

CO has always been a part of the imiverse. However, atmospheric CO has increased over time. When volcanoes erupted, continents collided, and winds embraced the trees sparking fires millions of years ago, all this contributed to the stock of CO. However, when CO first made a significant presence in the air we breathe, humans lived in the open. A very long time must have passed by before humans inhabited caves or built enclosures for protection from the effects of the weather or the tyranny of predators. In the process, however, humankind invited the unwanted guest -carbon monoxide, the silent killer. So where there is smoke, there is not only fire but also CO in terms of human cost, the latter is more dangerous than the former. Yet it must have taken several thousands of years to tame the fire, and over those years CO has claimed many innocent victims who went to sleep after a hearty meal never to wake up. The knowledge of these mysterious events has been unraveled over time. 

Shephard, R.J. (1983). Carbon Monoxide The Silent Killer, pp. 1-200. Charles C. Thomas, Springfield. 

Carbon monoxide is a very dangerous chemical. It is gaseous at room conditions, and it is colorless, odorless, and highly toxic. It is often referred to as the "silent killer."... 

In summary, carbon monoxide is a silent killer that occurs in domestic circumstances and is difficult to detect. As weU as causing death, it can have severe long-term side-effects and is particularly damaging to the elderly and to the unborn child. 

Carbon monoxide, often referred to as the silent, deadly killer, is a colorless, odorless gas. The CO is the byproduct of the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels. When people are exposed to high concentrations of the gas, they suffer from decreased oxygen in the blood due to CO out-competing oxygen for hemoglobin. This causes side effects such as visual impairment, dizziness, and headaches. The American Red Cross (ARC) (2004) reports that several thousand people in the United States each year go to the hospital with CO poisoning. At very high levels it can result in death. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports... 

Because it is colorless and odorless, carbon monoxide gas is a silent and stealthy potential killer. The following symptoms of CO poisoning are given in order of increasing severity and seriousness ... 

---