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Chemistry of Contaminants
Published in Daniel T. Rogers, Environmental Compliance Handbook, 2023
Carbon monoxide is one of the most common causes of fatal air poisoning (USDHH 2009). When inhaled, carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin to produce carboxyhemoglobin. A condition known as anoxemia arises because carboxyhemoglobin cannot deliver oxygen to body tissues efficiently. Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, seizures, coma, and even death (USDHH 2009). Concentrations of less than 700 parts per million of CO may cause up to 50% of the body's hemoglobin to convert to carboxyhemoglobin. In the United States, OSHA has established a long-term exposure standard for carbon monoxide at 50 parts per million (United States Department of Labor 2021). Carbon monoxide is created when fuel is not burned completely. From 1980 to 2016, there was a decrease of greater than 80% in carbon dioxide in the United States. This decrease was attributed to improved air pollution control equipment for stationary and mobile sources of air pollution (USEPA 2021b).
Toxicity and Toxins
Published in Gary S. Moore, Kathleen A. Bell, Living with the Earth, 2018
Gary S. Moore, Kathleen A. Bell
Each toxin has its own unique dose-response relationship. Some toxic agents require only very small doses to achieve a toxic effect while others become toxic only at very large doses. For example, an oral dose of sodium chloride would require 3,000 milligram/kilogram to achieve an LD50 in rats whereas the LD50 for strychnine is less than 2.5 milligram/kilogram. The LD50 is defined as the dose of a chemical that will cause death in 50 percent of a defined animal population (Table 5.1). Further, large acute doses will generally cause more harm than exposure to the same toxin in small amounts over a long period of time. In acute exposure, effects are often witnessed immediately, with characteristic symptoms occurring over a limited time. Chronic effects are usually the result of long-term exposure to smaller amounts of toxins, where health effects develop slowly and insidiously, without obvious identifiable symptoms.3 For example, a sudden exposure to large amounts of carbon monoxide will lead to dangerous concentrations of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood with resulting unconsciousness and death. Persons exposed to the same toxin in smaller doses over longer periods may slowly develop headaches, dizziness, and chest pains; the toxin may also possibly produce damage to heart and blood vessels.15
Land Contamination
Published in Daniel T. Rogers, Environmental Compliance Handbook, 2023
Carbon monoxide is one of the most common causes of fatal air poisoning (USDHH 2009). When inhaled, carbon monoxide combines with hemoglobin to produce carboxyhemoglobin. A condition known as anoxemia arises because carboxyhemoglobin cannot deliver oxygen to body tissues efficiently. Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide may cause headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, lethargy, seizures, coma, and even death (USDHH 2009). Concentrations of less than 700 parts per million of CO may cause up to 50% of the body’s hemoglobin to convert to carboxyhemoglobin. In the United States, OSHA has established a long-term exposure standard for carbon monoxide at 50 parts per million (United States Department of Labor 2021).
Analysis of roadside air pollutant concentrations and potential health risk of exposure in Hanoi, Vietnam
Published in Journal of Environmental Science and Health, Part A, 2020
Van Tai Tang, Nguyen Thi Kim Oanh, Eldon R. Rene, Tran Ngoc Binh
The hourly concentrations of CO during the three days ranged from 812-9092 µg/m3 that were significant lower than the hourly WHO guideline and the Vietnam NAAQS (QCVN 05: 2013/BTNMT) of 30,000 µg/m3. When inhaled, CO can easily combine with hemoglobin in the blood to form carboxyhemoglobin (COHb).[35,36] Raub et al.[36] reported that, when the CO concentration was increased from 10 to 1950 ppm, the COHb content in the blood also increased from 2 to 80%. Thus, the function of hemoglobin in transporting oxygen was affected that could possibly lead to suffocation, cardiovascular diseases, increased cardiovascular morbidity, loss of brain functions and eventually death.[35,36]
Chemical characterization of nanoparticles and volatiles present in mainstream hookah smoke
Published in Aerosol Science and Technology, 2019
Véronique Perraud, Michael J. Lawler, Kurtis T. Malecha, Rebecca M. Johnson, David A. Herman, Norbert Staimer, Michael T. Kleinman, Sergey A. Nizkorodov, James N. Smith
Carbon monoxide is well-known for binding to the hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (CO-Hb) and thus inhibiting the hemoglobin’s ability to bind with vital oxygen. Several acute CO poisoning cases have been previously reported for waterpipe smokers where levels of CO-Hb were almost always higher than 20% of total hemoglobin (Cavus et al. 2010; Eichorn et al. 2018; La Fauci et al. 2012; Lim, Lim, and Seow 2009; Retzky 2017; Veen 2016). CO levels are influenced by the choice of heat source, and the design of the waterpipe. For example, Monzer et al. (2008) reported that CO levels in mainstream hookah smoke can be reduced by a factor of 10 when using a custom-built electrical heater instead of charcoal, and Saleh and Shihadeh (2008) reported that switching from plastic to more permeable leather hose would reduce the CO concentration ultimately inhaled by the smoker by about half; however, the CO emitted directly from the charcoal and that escaping from the mainstream smoke will still be present in the air surrounding the smoker (sidestream smoke).
An analysis of the implications of air pollutants in Chennai
Published in International Journal of Ambient Energy, 2020
M. Arulprakasajothi, U. Chandrasekhar, D. Yuvarajan, Maradana Bhanu Teja
Carbon Monoxide is emitted into the air by incomplete combustion of fossil fuels and bio fuels (Mahalingam et al. 2017; Yuvarajan, Munuswamy, and Mahalingam 2017; Radhakrishnan 2017). This inhalation of carbon monoxide is fatal, as it can decrease oxygen level in blood by reacting with haemoglobin in our blood to for carboxyhaemoglobin. The carboxyhaemoglobin thus formed releases carbon monoxide slowly, and only less haemoglobin will be available to transport oxygen from the lungs to the other parts of the body. This leads to tiredness, dizziness and unconsciousness. The graphical representation of data obtained, including the variation of CO on daily basis, is shown in Figure 5.