Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas which can be life-threatening for people and animals.
Inhalation of even a small quantity of this gas can greatly reduce the blood's ability to carry oxygen to the brain and other organs.
It is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries, but it can be prevented with the use of specialized detectors.
Although it is chemically similar to carbon dioxide (chemical formula CO2), which is relatively safe and inert, this gas (CO) is capable of quickly and silently killing anyone who inhales enough of it.
When it enters the lungs, it rapidly binds to red blood cells.
This leaves the victim's blood unable to carry oxygen properly.
Without an adequate supply of oxygen, brain death begins in a matter of minutes.
Most victims of such accidents die in their sleep before they can be rescued.
It is produced by many combustion processes that occur in confined spaces, such as furnaces and car engines.
Furnaces are responsible for many cases of poisoning in homes.
It only takes five minutes without oxygen for the brain to sustain permanent damage.
Victims who are rescued in time can be treated with pure oxygen to remove the CO from their blood and restore proper oxygen transport.
Exposure to any amount of this gas is dangerous, but it is impossible to detect without special detectors.
Special detectors, which look and function similarly to smoke detectors, are designed to alert people when there is a dangerous concentration of CO in the air so that they can evacuate.
After their introduction, these detectors have saved countless lives from the danger of CO poisoning.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is tragic, but it can be prevented.