December 12th, 2017
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas responsible for hundreds of deaths and numerous non-fatal poisonings each year in the United States. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas that is produced as a by-product of incomplete combustion of carbon-based fuels such as natural or liquefied propane (LP) gas, kerosene, oil, gasoline, wood, or coal. Many of the issues related to CO poisoning are familiar to those who have worked on childhood lead poisoning and other environmental health hazards. Questions arise about the health impacts of low level exposures, the actual number of people affected, technologies for measuring levels in the environment or clinical specimens, and mitigation protocols. The literature supports the following findings regarding CO hazards in the home: HEALTH IMPACTS OF CO ? The severity of health effects from CO exposure depends on various factors, including the age and physical health status of an individual, the duration of CO exposure, and the CO concentration in the air. ? The elderly, pregnant women, fetuses, young infants, and those with certain pre-existing health problems (e.g., those with cardiac or lung conditions) are most susceptible to health effects from CO exposure. ? Both short-term exposures to high concentrations of CO and repeated longer-term exposures to lower concentrations of CO can result in serious health effects. ? Some research shows that repeated exposures to CO, even at levels previously believed to be low, are capable of producing numerous, and persistent, adverse physical, cognitive, and emotional health effects in humans.