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Properties of Carbon Monoxide

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gas that, if inhaled in sufficient quantities, can kill. That is why many homes come with carbon monoxide detectors and many safety experts, including those at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the U.S. Fire Administration, recommend installing CO detectors. Carbon monoxide is created in a lab, by dehydrating formic acid and adding sulphuric acid. Carbon dioxide is then passed over the heated mixture. Carbon monoxide also can occur naturally, as a result of the oxidation of natural gas, usually methane.

  1. Colorless

    • Like most gases, carbon monoxide has no color, so it is impossible to detect it visually. Even at very high concentrations, you will be unable to see CO.

    Odorless

    • Carbon monoxide also has no odor, so you will not smell carbon monoxide in your home, even when it reaches dangerous levels. Because you cannot see or smell CO, you may discount the symptoms of CO poisoning, which include headaches, nausea and dizziness, suggests the Centers for Disease Control.

    Poisonous

    • Carbon monoxide is extremely poisonous. Even air containing less than one percent carbon monoxide can kill you, if inhaled for more than 10 minutes, according to Tutor Vista. Carbon monoxide exposure accounts for about 15,000 visits to the emergency room and 500 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

    Flammable

    • Even if you are not exposed to carbon monoxide levels that are high enough to kill you, or you are not exposed for a length of time that will prove deadly, carbon monoxide, if ignited, can kill you. Even the smallest leak of carbon monoxide in your home can cause an explosion, if a match is or cigarette is lit. When carbon monoxide burns, it creates carbon dioxide.

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