Human Exposure to CO

Category of Smokers Median Equilibrium Blood COHb (%) 

Pipe and/or cigar smokers only Light cigarette smoker 1.7 

Alarie, Y., R.J. Kantz, C.E. Ulrich, A.A. Krumm, and W.M. Busey. 1973. Long-term continuous exposure to sulfur dioxide and fly ash mixtures. Environ. Health 27 251-253. 

Balchum, O.J., J.S. O Brian, and B.D. Goldstein. 1971. Ozone and unsaturated fatty 

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As is the case with myoglobin, ligands other than oxygen can bind to hemoglobin. An important example is carbon monoxide, which binds to hemoglobin about 250 times better than does oxygen. Human exposure to CO can have tragic consequences (Box 5-1). 

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