December 12th, 2017
The effects on health of prolonged but low level exposure to carbon monoxide (CO) are unclear. Studies of carbon monoxide exposure focus mainly on short term effects in experimental settings, or on long term effects in cases of accidental poisoning. Exposures in long term case studies are often of unknown levels and duration. Patients are sometimes exposed to short periods of acute intoxication, in addition to the low level, chronic exposure; thus the difficulty in determining which type of exposure is responsible for any subsequent health problems.Anecdotal evidence suggests that chronic exposure to CO may produce mild neurological effects.Although there are as yet no conclusive studies showing such a correlation, the evidence in its favour is accumulating.