Exposure to carbon monoxide reduces maximum exercise ability in healthy young individuals and reduces the time to angina and, in some cases, the time to ST-segment depression in people with cardiovascular disease, albeit at a con- centration that is lower than that needed to reduce exercise ability in healthy in- dividuals. The relationship of carbon monoxide exposure and the carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb) concentration in blood can be modelled using the differential Coburn- Forster-Kane equation, which provides a good approximation to the COHb con- centration at a steady level of inhaled, exogenous carbon monoxide. Based on laboratory studies of reduction in exercise capacity in both healthy.
