Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a highly-toxic indoor air contaminant that can be very dangerous to human health. It is a colourless, odourless gas that can cause health damage in very short spans of time.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a byproduct of the combustion of fossil fuels, and common sources include tobacco smoke, heaters that use fossil fuels, central heating furnaces and automobiles.

Carbon Monoxide (CO) is measured in parts per million (ppm).

This is a safe level of exposure to carbon monoxide

There are no symptoms in most people when exposure is up to 70ppm over an 8 hour period. The maximum exposure for 1 hour is 35 ppm as per the US standard, which should not be exceeded by more than one exposure per year.

People may start experiencing headache, fatigue and nausea once CO levels go past 100 ppm over an 8 hour exposure time period. Those with heart conditions may begin experiencing chest pains. Exposure to this level of CO is dangerous and can result in disorientation. Exposure at 400 ppm over 3 hours can be life threatening and will cause unconsciousness, and eventually death.

At 800ppm, just an hour of exposure can cause unconsciousness, with death at 2 to 3 hours. At concentrations above 12,800 death occurs within minutes.

SOURCE: US EPA

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