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Even Low Levels of CO Dangerous [11/04-2]
Even low levels of carbon monoxide, such as those caused by indoor smoking, can be very dangerous, and may be responsible for untold thousands of deaths, according to a recent study.
Here are excerpts from a recent article:
DANGEROUS AT ANY LEVELS CARBON MONOXIDE DAMAGING IN SMALL AMOUNTS OVER TIME, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Tue, Nov 04 1997
With winter approaching, cases of carbon monoxide poisoning are likely to rise among people exposed to the deadly fumes emitted from malfunctioning furnaces and other gas-burning appliances.
But a new study shows that carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and tasteless gas, may be a more subtle killer than commonly believed.
Even low-level exposure from such sources as automobile emissions and cigarette smoke can cause long-term, permanent damage, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.
Scientists have known for some time about a link between smoking and arteriosclerosis, commonly known as hardening of the arteries. The new research suggests that there may be other diseases that could have their roots in the cumulative effects of low-level exposure to carbon monoxide.
The researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center exposed cultured cow cells to carbon monoxide concentrations that could be encountered in everyday situations.
Then they studied the chemical reactions within the cells and discovered that carbon monoxide quickly interferes with the normal functions of another gaseous molecule in the bloodstream: nitric oxide.
Carbon monoxide binds to the same proteins than normally bind with nitric oxide. The interference causes nitric oxide concentrations to increase quickly, within blood cells and elsewhere. The extra nitric oxide begins to manufacture oxidants and free radicals, well-known causes of tissue damage and aging.
According to Stephen R. Thom, professor of emergency medicine at Penn's Institute for Environmental Medicine and the study's senior author, this discovery represents the first biochemical model of the dynamics of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of poisoning in America, killing perhaps 10,000 people a year, from both accidental and suicidal exposures. But Thom believes "untold thousands" also die from the accumulation of low-level carbon monoxide exposure that need more study.
Thom says the experiments also suggest that an excess of nitric oxide is especially damaging to brain cells. And the greater the exposure to carbon monoxide, the more nitric oxide is released by the cells.
The Penn team detected toxicity at lower levels than would be experienced by typical smokers or in the air next to busy streets during rush hour. The amount of nitric oxide released by the cells increased by nearly 3600 percent. Cells began to die within 18-24 hours. |
