About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Definition
By Mayo Clinic staffCarbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. Too much carbon monoxide in the air you breathe can greatly diminish your ability to absorb of oxygen, leading to serious — and potentially fatal — tissue damage. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a leading cause of unintentional death from poison.
Carbon monoxide is produced by appliances and other devices that produce combustion fumes, such as those that burn gas or other petroleum products, wood and other fuels. The danger occurs when too much carbon monoxide accumulates in a contained, poorly ventilated space. Simple precautions can save your life.
Although the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning can be subtle, the condition is a life-threatening medical emergency. Get immediate care for anyone who may have carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Carbon monoxide poisoning. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/co/faqs.htm. Accessed Oct. 8, 2009.
- Clardy PF. Carbon monoxide poisoning. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Oct. 8, 2009.
- Aulakh SK. Carbon monoxide poisoning. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2010. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/167411074-3/908442430/2088/113.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05609-0..00012-5--sc0015_2246. Accessed Oct. 8, 2009.
- Lavonas EJ. Carbon monoxide poisoning. In: Shannon MW, et al. Haddad and Winchester's Clinical Management of Poisoning and Drug Overdose. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/167411074-4/908443298/2045/92.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-7216-0693-4..50092-X_3027. Accessed Oct. 8, 2009.
- Wolf SJ, et al. Clinical policy: Critical issues in the management of adult patients presenting to the emergency department with acute carbon monoxide poisoning. Annals of Emergency Medicine. 2008;51:138.
- Anderson CF (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Oct. 15, 2009.
Find Mayo Clinic on