All About Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Cars

Carbon monoxide (CO) is also known as a silent killer. It attaches itself to the blood cells; therefore, if a person is exposed to CO, the gas replaces the oxygen. In cars, the CO is produced when the combustion reaction isn’t completed fully. In this guide, we will explain what are the signs and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, is and how you can prevent it. Let’s find out. 

What Is Carbon Monoxide?

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous, odourless and colourless gas. Because it cannot be seen, smelled or tasted, CO can harm you or your family members even before you detect it. Even low exposure to carbon monoxide can cause serious health problems. However, carbon monoxide poisoning is entirely preventable. 

Carbon monoxide is produced by the incomplete burning of any carbon-containing material in an appliance or engine; for example, running on gas, wood, coal, gasoline, fuel oil or ethanol. Motor vehicle exhaust also contributes to the emission of carbon monoxide; however, closed garages can also build up CO inside the car.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Symptoms

Carbon monoxide diffuses very quickly in the environment and can be fatal in less than an hour. CO is an asphyxiant gas that attaches to red blood cells and prevents them from properly carrying oxygen in the body. The severity of poisoning depends on the amount of CO fixed by haemoglobin.

The first and most common symptoms are:

• Headache 
• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Dizziness
• Chest pain
• Weakness

CO poisoning can be difficult to diagnose because the symptoms resemble other illnesses. Also, people who sleep or are intoxicated can die of CO poisoning before they even have symptoms.

In this case, it is necessary to ventilate, evacuate the place and call the emergency services.

Causes of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Cars

The main causes of carbon monoxide poisoning are:

• Poor evacuation of combustion products
• The faulty exhaust system in your vehicle can cause CO poisoning
• Faulty or poorly maintained devices and vehicles
• Parking your vehicle in a closed or insufficiently ventilated area

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Prevention

Many incidents that can be caused due to carbon monoxide can be prevented. Start with the following tips that can help to keep your vehicle or home safe from the gas. 

• Have your car’s exhaust system checked annually by a professional. A small leak in your car’s exhaust system can cause CO to build up inside the car.
• Open vents or windows when driving with the car windows down to make sure air is circulating in your car. 
• Don’t drive a car or truck into a garage with the garage door closed. CO can build up quickly. Always open the garage door to let in the fresh air.
• Don’t use the vehicle right after taking it out of the garage. Take it out of the garage, let it warm up for some time before taking a ride.
• One of the major precautions against carbon monoxide poisoning is that never leave your engine running in the garage or confined spaces. It may let enter the carbon monoxide into the passenger area. 
• Keeping your car well maintained can also reduce the emission of carbon monoxide. Therefore, follow the proper checklist for car maintenance to avoid such situations.

Moreover, you can also prevent CO poisoning by installing CO alarms in your garage. These alarms can detect and alert you about the presence of dangerous concentrations of this gas. The detector should be installed on each level of your home and outside the sleeping area. 

Also, keep some batteries in stock in case of a multi-day power outage. You can also maintain the CO alarms by cleaning their dust with a vacuum and test their operations. 

This concludes our guide on how to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure you properly ventilate your vehicle before you sit and start a journey. If interested in buying a used vehicle in the UAE, you must check if its exhaust system is working properly. If you already have a car and need to get the exhaust system checked, use any of these top car service and repair apps in Dubai for instant assistance.

Stay tuned to the UAE’s leading auto blog to find more about car related issues and their prevention.