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A member asked:
I breathed in car exhaust pretty heavily, but only for a second or two. this also occurred in the open air. am i in any danger of co poisoning?"
4 doctors weighed in across 2 answers
Not likely: CO poisoning occurs because CO preferentially sits in the oxygen site of hemoglobin in the red cells. Several breaths of CO rich fumes might have caused some of these sites to take in CO but there is a lot of red cells in circulation and most I am sure are still taking on oxygen. Continue your normal breathing and you will be fine.
Answered 2/19/2015
3.2k views
No: you would have to inhale large amounts in an enclosed space for a rather lengthy amount of time (dependent on the size of the space, size of engine generating the exhaust, how well sealed the space is, ...). Fortunately our bodies have a bit of a safety buffer. It is more dangerous if you are pregnant. CO takes a long time to be released from the hemoglobin in the RBCs.
Answered 5/19/2016
3.2k views
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