Signs and Symptoms
Carbon monoxide is toxic to all aerobic forms of life. It is easily absorbed through the lungs. Inhaling even relatively small amounts of the gas can lead to hypoxic injury, neurological damage, and even death. Different people and populations may have a different carbon monoxide tolerance levels. On average, exposures at 100 ppm or greater is dangerous to human health. In the United States, the OSHA limits long-term workplace exposure levels to less than 50 ppm averaged over an 8-hour period; in addition, employees are to be removed from any confined space if an upper limit ("ceiling") of 100 ppm is reached. Carbon monoxide exposure may lead to a significantly shorter life span due to heart damage. The carbon monoxide tolerance level for any person is altered by several factors, including activity level, rate of ventilation, a pre-existing cerebral or cardiovascular disease, cardiac output, anemia, sickle cell disease and other hematological disorders, barometric pressure, and metabolic rate.
The acute effects produced by carbon monoxide in relation to ambient concentration in parts per million are listed below:
| Concentration | Symptoms |
|---|---|
| 35 ppm (0.0035%) | Headache and dizziness within six to eight hours of constant exposure |
| 100 ppm (0.01%) | Slight headache in two to three hours |
| 200 ppm (0.02%) | Slight headache within two to three hours; loss of judgment |
| 400 ppm (0.04%) | Frontal headache within one to two hours |
| 800 ppm (0.08%) | Dizziness, nausea, and convulsions within 45 min; insensible within 2 hours |
| 1,600 ppm (0.16%) | Headache, tachycardia, dizziness, and nausea within 20 min; death in less than 2 hours |
| 3,200 ppm (0.32%) | Headache, dizziness and nausea in five to ten minutes. Death within 30 minutes. |
| 6,400 ppm (0.64%) | Headache and dizziness in one to two minutes. Convulsions, respiratory arrest, and death in less than 20 minutes. |
| 12,800 ppm (1.28%) | Unconsciousness after 2–3 breaths. Death in less than three minutes. |
Read more about this topic: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
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