Carbon monoxide is one of the most widely distributed and abundant pollutants in the atmosphere. Carbon monoxide is found in metallurgy, chemistry, graphite electrode manufacturing, household gas or coal stoves, and automobile exhaust. The main source of CO in the atmosphere is internal combustion engine exhaust, followed by the burning of fossil fuels in boilers.
Carbon monoxide is a flammable and explosive gas. It can form explosive mixture when mixed with air, and can cause combustion explosion when exposed to open fire and high temperature. Limit of explosion with air mixture is 12% ~ 74.2%.
Symptoms of mild poisoning include headache, dizziness, weakness of limbs, nausea and vomiting, and mild disturbance of consciousness. Moderate poisoning was characterized by shallow to moderate coma. Severe poisoning consciousness disorder to deep coma or go to the cerebral cortex state, such as CO concentration is extremely high, can make people quickly coma, or even "electric shock" death. In addition to the central nervous system lesions, acute CO poisoning can be combined multiple organ dysfunction, such as pulmonary edema, respiratory failure, upper gastrointestinal bleeding, shock, peripheral neuropathy (mostly single nerve damage), swelling, skin blisters or body crush syndrome syndrome (including fascia clearance and rhabdomyolysis syndrome), very few patients are associated with cerebral infarction or myocardial infarction.
Prevention of carbon monoxide poisoning
1. {C}Keep the room well ventilated. Indoor use charcoal or gas, remember to maintain air circulation, gas water heater or gas, coal, fuel equipment, do not be placed in the family living room or ventilation is bad, indoor had better have mechanical ventilation facilities.
2.Correct selection, reasonable installation and safe use of gas water heater. Gas water heater can not be installed directly in the shower, before use to check whether there is a leak of gas, gas stove has no fault, connect the rubber pipe of gas stove is loose, aging, broken, insect bite; Attention is opened when washing bath fan or window is ventilated, wash bath time does not want too long, when many people use water heater continuously to take a bath, should maintain certain time compartment, in order to ensure indoor and outdoor air circulation.
Do not sleep in a closed air-conditioned environment for a long time. Whether sleeping at home, in a hotel or in a car with air conditioning on, the doors and Windows should be checked before going to sleep to keep a "gap in life", so as to avoid a large amount of carbon monoxide and other waste gas accumulation to bring danger.
Emergency treatment of carbon monoxide inhalation
If a small amount of CO is toxic, you should quickly leave the scene and go to a fresh place to keep your respiratory tract open and breathe in large amounts of fresh air or give artificial respiration. If dyspnea occurs, seek medical attention immediately.
Carbon monoxide fire emergency treatment: cut off the gas source. If the air source cannot be cut off, the flame at the leak is not allowed to be extinguished. Spray water to cool the container, immediately remove the container from the site of fire or spray cold water to cool it, so as to prevent fire expansion, secondary disasters and secondary pollution. Extinguishing agent: mist water, foam, carbon dioxide, dry powder.
