How much do you know about carbon monoxide?

Study Notes

Carbon Monoxide: Sources, Health Effects, and Diagnosis

Air pollution refers to the contamination of the indoor or outdoor environment by any chemical, physical, or biological agent that modifies the natural characteristics of the atmosphere.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas formed by the incomplete reaction of air with fuel, and its molecular formula is CO.
One molecule of carbon monoxide consists of one carbon and one oxygen atom, which are joined by two pi bonds and one sigma bond, and its bond angle is 180° with a bond length of 112.8 pm.
Sources of carbon monoxide include burning fossil fuels like natural gas, petrol, coal, and oil, wood smoke, car and truck exhausts, and faulty gas heaters, BBQs, ovens, and cooktops.
Breathing in high levels of carbon monoxide can cause serious health effects, including headaches, tiredness, dizziness, nausea, unconsciousness, and even death.
Carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen that can be transported in the bloodstream to critical organs like the heart and brain, and at very high levels, it can cause dizziness, confusion, unconsciousness, and death.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is diagnosed by measuring its level in the blood through a blood test.
Mild carbon monoxide poisoning can be mistaken for the flu because its symptoms can be vague and variable, and doctors may suspect exposure to carbon monoxide if people in the same heated dwelling have similar flu-like symptoms.
Mild carbon monoxide poisoning causes headache, nausea, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, vomiting, drowsiness, and poor coordination, while moderate or severe poisoning causes weakness of judgment, confusion, loss of consciousness, convulsions, chest pain, shortness of breath, hypotension, and coma.
Severe carbon monoxide poisoning is often fatal, and in rare cases, late neuropsychiatric symptoms such as memory loss, poor coordination, movement disorders, depression, and psychosis can develop weeks after recovery from severe poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is dangerous because a person may not recognize drowsiness as a symptom of poisoning, and mild, long-term poisoning can occur from ovens or heaters with symptoms that occur from other conditions, such as the flu or another viral infection.
Unborn babies and people with heart conditions are at greatest risk from breathing in high levels of carbon monoxide.

Description

Test your knowledge on carbon monoxide, its sources, health effects, and diagnosis with this informative quiz. From the molecular formula to the sources of carbon monoxide, this quiz covers everything you need to know about this dangerous gas. Learn about the health effects of breathing in high levels of carbon monoxide and how it can be diagnosed through a blood test. Test your understanding of the symptoms of mild, moderate, and severe carbon monoxide poisoning and the risk factors associated with exposure. Take this quiz to