Carbon monoxide is a clear, odourless gas produced by the incomplete combustion of organic compounds. It reduces the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen. CO combines selectively with haemoglobin (the oxygen transport protein in red blood cells) to form carboxyhaemoglobin. CO impairs perception and judgment at low levels. Effects worsen as CO levels rise, leading ultimately to convulsions and coma at high concentrations. The CO provisions of the ambient air NEPM are based on evidence that a carboxyhaemoglobin threshold of should not be exceeded, and incorporates a safety factor (NEPC, 1998). Until recently, it was thought that current CO.
