Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionFrequently Asked QuestionsNext in Carbon Monoxide Poisoning GuideSymptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
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Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Guide
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headaches, dizziness, weakness, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.
Excessive exposure to CO can lead to severe heartbeat irregularities, seizures, unconsciousness, and even death.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is relatively common in the U.S., with around 100,000 emergency room admissions each year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).It can be largely avoided with inexpensive yet effective carbon monoxide alarms installed in the home.
This article discusses the symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning and how it’s diagnosed. It also discusses how it’s treated and ways to prevent it.
Verywell / Emily Roberts
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms
With carbon monoxide poisoning,symptomsinvolve parts of the body that require oxygen most, namely the heart and thecentral nervous system (CNS). Initial carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms typically include nausea, malaise, fatigue, and a dull but persistent headache.
As the CO continues to build up in the bloodstream, the depletion of oxygen in tissues will trigger an ever-worsening cascade of symptoms, including:
Death may occur as a result of effects on the heart or respiration, includingrespiratory arrest.
Even after a person has been treated for CO poisoning, there is a risk of long-term and even permanent neurological complications, including memory problems, irritability, depression, speech disturbances, partial vision loss, dementia, andParkinson’s disease-like symptoms.
How Long Does Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Take to Show Symptoms?Carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal within minutes. Children, pregnant women, older adults, and those with chronic illnesses may be affected more severely and rapidly. People who are sleeping or intoxicated can die from carbon monoxide poisoning before they ever become aware of their symptoms.
How Long Does Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Take to Show Symptoms?
Carbon monoxide poisoning can be fatal within minutes. Children, pregnant women, older adults, and those with chronic illnesses may be affected more severely and rapidly. People who are sleeping or intoxicated can die from carbon monoxide poisoning before they ever become aware of their symptoms.
Carbon monoxide easily enters the body through the lungs. As CO is transferred into the bloodstream, it will preferentially bind tohemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. By doing so, CO prevents oxygen from getting to the tissues and cells that need it to survive.
Common Sources of CO Include:Wood-burning stovesHouse firesVehicle exhaust fumesGas or propane stoves and grillsCharcoal grills and hibachisUnvented propane, kerosene, or gas space heatersGas-powered electrical generatorsGas clothes dryers
Common Sources of CO Include:
Wood-burning stovesHouse firesVehicle exhaust fumesGas or propane stoves and grillsCharcoal grills and hibachisUnvented propane, kerosene, or gas space heatersGas-powered electrical generatorsGas clothes dryers
Riding in the back of a pickup truck is acommon cause of carbon monoxide poisoningin children. Similar, idling your car in winter can poison passengers if the exhaust pipe is blocked with snow. Any perforation in the exhaust manifold of a car or boat can allow CO to flood the interior.
Carbon monoxide poisoning may also occur intentionally. According to research published in theAnnals of the American Thoracic Society, 831 suicides in 2014 were a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, either from a vehicle’s exhaust fumes or a combustible fuel source in the house.
© Verywell, 2018
Unless carbon monoxide is recognized as the cause of your symptoms, it may be misdiagnosed when you first arrive at the emergency room. It is important, therefore, to advise the ER doctor of your suspicions if you believe CO is involved.
Thediagnosisis relatively straightforward. It involves a non-invasive probe, called a CO-oximeter, which measures CO compounds in the blood. The device can be placed on your finger, toe, or other parts of the body.
Under normal circumstances, you would have less than 5% carboxyhemoglobin compared to free hemoglobin. Generally, poisoning occurs if the level is above 10%. Death can occur at levels over 25%.
If carbon monoxide poisoning is suspected, the first course of action is to remove yourself and others from the source of the CO. Even if symptoms are mild, emergency medical treatment should be sought.
Treatmentmay involve the administration of pressurized oxygen through a non-circulating mask. By increasing oxygen levels in the blood, CO can be cleared from the body faster than on its own.
In severe cases, a hyperbaric chamber may be used, which can deliver 100% oxygen in a high-pressure environment. Hyperbaric oxygen clears CO from the blood faster than oxygen delivered at normal atmospheric pressure.
In addition to oxygen, other treatments may be required, including:
The most effective means of prevention in the home is a carbon monoxide alarm. They are readily available online and in most hardware stores, ranging in price from $20 for a plug-in monitor to $80 for a combination CO/smoke alarm.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recommends that every home has at least one CO alarm, preferably one for each floor.
Among the other recommended safety tips:
A Word From Verywell
If your carbon monoxide alarm goes off, never assume that it’s a false alarm even if you have no symptoms. Because CO is tasteless and odorless, you need to assume that the risk is real and to take the appropriate action.
First and foremost, do not look for the source of gas. The CPSC instead recommends that you:
Exposure to very high levels of carbon monoxide may induce hallucinations.
Early symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are often described as flu-like. This includes symptoms like headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, and chest pain.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Signs and Symptoms
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Carbon monoxide poisoning basics.Kinoshita H, Türkan H, Vucinic S, et al.Carbon monoxide poisoning.Toxicol Rep. 2020 Jan;7(1):169-173. doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.01.005Hampson NB, Piantadosi CA, Thom SR, Weaver LK.Practice recommendations in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(11):1095-1101. doi:10.1164/rccm.201207-1284CIQuinn DK, McGahee SM, Politte LC, et al.Complications of carbon monoxide poisoning: a case discussion and review of the literature.Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2009;11(2):74-79. doi:10.4088/PCC.08r00651U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.Hampson NB.U.S. mortality due to carbon monoxide poisoning, 1999–2014. accidental and intentional deaths.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2016;13(10):1768-1774. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201604-318OCOlson K, Smollin C.Carbon monoxide poisoning (acute).BMJ Clin Evid. 2008;2008:2103.Rose JJ, Nolley E, Gladwin MT.A 53-year-old woman with severe carbon monoxide poisoning.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017;14(9):1475-1478. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201701-002CCU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.Carbon monoxide fact sheet.
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Carbon monoxide poisoning basics.Kinoshita H, Türkan H, Vucinic S, et al.Carbon monoxide poisoning.Toxicol Rep. 2020 Jan;7(1):169-173. doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.01.005Hampson NB, Piantadosi CA, Thom SR, Weaver LK.Practice recommendations in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(11):1095-1101. doi:10.1164/rccm.201207-1284CIQuinn DK, McGahee SM, Politte LC, et al.Complications of carbon monoxide poisoning: a case discussion and review of the literature.Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2009;11(2):74-79. doi:10.4088/PCC.08r00651U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.Hampson NB.U.S. mortality due to carbon monoxide poisoning, 1999–2014. accidental and intentional deaths.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2016;13(10):1768-1774. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201604-318OCOlson K, Smollin C.Carbon monoxide poisoning (acute).BMJ Clin Evid. 2008;2008:2103.Rose JJ, Nolley E, Gladwin MT.A 53-year-old woman with severe carbon monoxide poisoning.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017;14(9):1475-1478. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201701-002CCU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.Carbon monoxide fact sheet.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Carbon monoxide poisoning basics.Kinoshita H, Türkan H, Vucinic S, et al.Carbon monoxide poisoning.Toxicol Rep. 2020 Jan;7(1):169-173. doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.01.005Hampson NB, Piantadosi CA, Thom SR, Weaver LK.Practice recommendations in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(11):1095-1101. doi:10.1164/rccm.201207-1284CIQuinn DK, McGahee SM, Politte LC, et al.Complications of carbon monoxide poisoning: a case discussion and review of the literature.Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2009;11(2):74-79. doi:10.4088/PCC.08r00651U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.Hampson NB.U.S. mortality due to carbon monoxide poisoning, 1999–2014. accidental and intentional deaths.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2016;13(10):1768-1774. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201604-318OCOlson K, Smollin C.Carbon monoxide poisoning (acute).BMJ Clin Evid. 2008;2008:2103.Rose JJ, Nolley E, Gladwin MT.A 53-year-old woman with severe carbon monoxide poisoning.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017;14(9):1475-1478. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201701-002CCU.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.Carbon monoxide fact sheet.
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Carbon monoxide poisoning basics.
Kinoshita H, Türkan H, Vucinic S, et al.Carbon monoxide poisoning.Toxicol Rep. 2020 Jan;7(1):169-173. doi:10.1016/j.toxrep.2020.01.005
Hampson NB, Piantadosi CA, Thom SR, Weaver LK.Practice recommendations in the diagnosis, management, and prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning.Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2012;186(11):1095-1101. doi:10.1164/rccm.201207-1284CI
Quinn DK, McGahee SM, Politte LC, et al.Complications of carbon monoxide poisoning: a case discussion and review of the literature.Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2009;11(2):74-79. doi:10.4088/PCC.08r00651
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.
Hampson NB.U.S. mortality due to carbon monoxide poisoning, 1999–2014. accidental and intentional deaths.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2016;13(10):1768-1774. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201604-318OC
Olson K, Smollin C.Carbon monoxide poisoning (acute).BMJ Clin Evid. 2008;2008:2103.
Rose JJ, Nolley E, Gladwin MT.A 53-year-old woman with severe carbon monoxide poisoning.Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2017;14(9):1475-1478. doi:10.1513/AnnalsATS.201701-002CC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.Carbon monoxide fact sheet.
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