When carbon monoxide is inhaled, it reacts with hemoglobin, the red blood pigment that normally carries oxygen to all parts of the body. Because carbon monoxide is attracted to the hemoglobin about 210 times as strongly as is oxygen, it takes the place of oxygen in the blood, causing oxygen starvation throughout the body. Carbon monoxide detectors for homes are now readily available. Carbon monoxide from automobile and industrial emissions is a dangerous pollutant that may contribute to the greenhouse effect and global warming . In urban areas carbon monoxide, along with aldehydes, react photochemically to produce peroxy radicals.
Carbon monoxide is also a constituent of tobacco smoke.
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