Carbon Monoxide
An estimated 10,000 people seek medical attention or miss at least one day of normal activity each year because of carbon monoxide poisoning. Studies from the Center of Disease Control indicate that there are as many as 600 deaths annually in the United States due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide Defined
Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas, it is practically colorless, odorless, tasteless, and non-irritating. Its chemical formula is CO. It is one of the most common industrial hazards.
OSHA limits worker's exposure to no more than 50 parts of CO per one million parts of air (50ppm) averaged over an eight-hour workday. Exposure of CO is influenced by three main factors.
- The concentration of CO in the environment.
- How long the exposure lasts.
- The workload and breathing rate of the employee.
The more carbon monoxide in the air and the longer you are exposed to it, the greater the danger. The following table shows the effects of different concentration levels.
| PPM | Effect |
| 400 (0.04%) | Slight headaches with 1-2 hours, becoming life threatening after 3 hours. |
| 800 (0.08%) | Dizziness, nausea, and convulsions within 45 minutes. Unconsciousness within 2 hours. Death within 2-3 hours. |
| 1600 (0.16%) | Headache, dizziness, and nausea within 20 minutes, death within 1 hour. |
| 3200 (0.32%) | Headache, dizziness, and nausea within 5-10 minutes, death within 30 minutes. |
| 6400 (0.64%) | Headache, dizziness, and nausea within 1-2 minutes, death within 10-15 minutes. |
| 12800 (1.28%) | Death within 1-3 minutes. |
Carbon monoxide is produced when a fuel containing carbon is inadequately burned and not properly mixed with oxygen. It also forms when fuels are burned at excessive temperatures. Harmful levels of CO are a potential danger to anyone who works around equipment that produces it.
Do not use equipment and tools powered by gasoline engines inside buildings or other partially enclosed spaces unless the gasoline engine can be placed outdoors and away from air intakes. Instruct your employees to leave the area immediately if they begin to feel symptoms of CO poisoning, and get to fresh air. If this helps them recover you should suspect CO. Make sure no one else is in the affected area.
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