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To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor will draw blood to determine your levels of oxygen and carboxyhemoglobin (carbon monoxide attached to hemoglobin). When your doctor examines you, he or she will pay particular attention to your nervous (neurological) system. Carbon monoxide attaches to fetal hemoglobin at a level 10% to 15% higher than in the mother, placing the fetus at special risk. If you are pregnant, tell your doctor immediately. Your doctor will want to know how long you were exposed, whether your symptoms improve when you leave the area, and whether any of your family members or co-workers complain of symptoms similar to yours. This is especially important if you are a victim of smoke inhalation during a fire, because you could have inhaled other toxic gases besides carbon monoxide.Īfter a poisoning that occurs indoors, your doctor will ask about the condition of fuel-burning appliances and equipment in your home and at work and about the quality of ventilation in these areas. Information about the exposure will be collected from the emergency personnel, your relatives, or both. If you are unconscious, your doctor's first priority is to stabilize your condition, providing emergency treatment such as oxygen, fluid and treatment for seizures. People with long-term exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide also can have numbness, unexplained vision problems, sleep disturbances, and impaired memory and concentration. If you are exposed to very low levels of carbon monoxide over a longer period (weeks or months), your symptoms can appear like the flu, with headache, fatigue, malaise (a general sick feeling) and sometimes nausea and vomiting. Death can result from only a few minutes of exposure to higher concentrations or from an hour of exposure to lower levels. Without immediate treatment, you can lose consciousness, have a seizure, enter a coma, and potentially die. Unusually emotional behavior or extreme swings in emotions.If you are exposed to very high levels of carbon monoxide gas in a poorly ventilated room, you can develop: Symptoms vary depending on the concentration of carbon monoxide in the environment, the length of time you are exposed, and your health. Carbon monoxide also can act directly as a poison, interfering with cells' internal chemical reactions. Without enough oxygen, individual cells suffocate and die, especially in vital organs such as the brain and heart. As exposure continues, the gas hijacks more and more hemoglobin molecules, and the blood gradually loses its ability to carry enough oxygen to meet your body's needs.

Oxygen can't travel on a hemoglobin molecule that already has carbon monoxide attached to it. Once inhaled, carbon monoxide passes from your lungs into your bloodstream, where it attaches to the hemoglobin molecules that normally carry oxygen. More than one-third of carbon monoxide-related deaths occur when the victim is asleep. Carbon monoxide poisoning can occur in victims of smoke inhalation during a fire. The risk of poisoning is especially high when equipment is used in an enclosed place and ventilation is poor. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a potentially fatal illness that occurs when people breathe in carbon monoxide.Īll sorts of sources can release carbon monoxide, including cars, trucks, small gasoline engines (like lawnmowers), stoves, lanterns, furnaces, grills, gas ranges, water heaters and clothes dryers. Last updated on Mar 22, 2023.Ĭarbon monoxide is a tasteless, colorless, odorless gas found in the fumes of fuels that contain carbon, such as wood, coal and gasoline.