CO | Carbon Monoxide | CO Monitoring | Carbon Monoxide Sources & Health Hazards | OIZOM ACADEMY
Channel: Oizom
Date: 2021-01-06

Carbon monoxide, one of the most abundant pollutant gases, is indetectable to humans as it can not be seen, smelled, or tasted. Exposure to high levels of CO  can cause CO poisoning leading to serious health issues, giving it the name “The Silent Killer”. CO monitoring is the most effective way to know if you are at risk of carbon monoxide exposure. This article covers information on carbon monoxide, its sources, permissible levels in the ambient air, health and environmental impact, possible corrective measures, need for carbon monoxide monitors  as well as different methods of CO monitoring.

What is CO?
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless, non-irritating, and tasteless poisonous gas found in the atmosphere. Incomplete combustion of carbon-containing fuels such as coal, gasoline, natural gas, oil, and wood produce this critical air pollutant.

Carbon monoxide gas consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom. The molecular weight of carbon monoxide is similar to that of air about 28.01 g/mole. It is flammable and reacts vigorously with oxygen, acetylene, chlorine, fluorine, and nitrous oxide. Also, it is slightly soluble in water, blood serum, and plasma.

Carbon monoxide in Atmosphere
CO is naturally present in the atmosphere at very low concentrations of about 0.2 ppm which is not harmful to humans. CO is released naturally from the eruption of volcanoes, forest fires, etc. However, human activities are the biggest source of CO emissions. It remains in the atmosphere for about 2 months and then it eventually reacts with oxygen to form carbon dioxide. 
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Natural sources such as volcanoes, bush/forest fires, metabolism of animals, and even lightning lead to carbon monoxide emissions.

Carbon monoxide is majorly released from vehicular exhaust due to incomplete combustion of fuel in cars, trucks, airplanes, and boats. Additional sources include breathing in tobacco smoke, burning of biomass for cooking, equipment, or appliances such as heaters, barbeques, gas stoves, gas water heaters, fireplaces, etc. 

Different sources of Carbon monoxide include vehicles, forest fires, industries, power, biomass, gas
Sources of Carbon Monoxide
Industrial
The major industrial source of carbon monoxide is from the combustion of fuels such as coal, natural gas, and coke in industrial plants. Also, CO is emitted from various industrial processes such as metal manufacturing,  mining of metal ore and coal, food processing industries, power generation, oil and gas extraction and refining processes oil and gas from either land or sea, production of chemicals, manufacturing of concrete and plaster, etc. 

Health Impact
CO is known for its alarming effect on human health. CO has a higher affinity (200 times) than oxygen to hemoglobin (Hb), which is the protein in the blood that carries oxygen from the lungs to cells throughout the body. It replaces the oxygen in the bloodstream and binds itself to hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) and thereby impairs the oxygen-carrying capacity of the body. 

Effect of Carbon Monoxide on the human body and how it binds itself to hemoglobin to create oxygen deficiency
It is more dangerous because humans cannot detect higher levels of CO as it has no taste or smell and cannot be seen. The people suffering from some type of heart disease are even more vulnerable as they already have a reduced ability for getting oxygenated blood to their hearts in situations where the heart needs more oxygen than usual. In these situations, short-term exposure to elevated CO may result in more critical health issues.

Environmental Impact
Carbon monoxide is a very weak direct greenhouse gas that reacts with the hydroxyl radicals in the atmosphere and reduces their abundance. The presence of hydroxyl radicals is important in the atmosphere as it reacts with strong greenhouse gases and helps reduce their effect on global warming. Thus, the carbon monoxide emitted into the atmosphere indirectly contributes to global warming. CO also contributes to the formation of ozone in the air which is another critical air pollutant.

Electrochemical – CO monitors working on the electrochemical principle are operated based on the diffusion of carbon monoxide gas into the sensor which results in the production of an electrical signal proportional to the CO concentration. Therefore, it allows accurate measurement of even low concentrations of carbon monoxide, which is essential in carbon monoxide monitoring in the ambient conditions. 

CO monitoring is an efficient way to prevent CO poisoning as it helps detect the buildup of carbon monoxide levels and alerts when a certain level is exceeded. 
Real-time carbon monoxide monitoring helps in calculating air quality index to deliver health advisories as well as formulating an action plan to meet standards.