3.4.3.2.5 - pollution - carbon monoxide

sources of carbon monoxide

- produced when carbon based materials are burned with a shortage of oxygen

- e.g incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons, especially petrol and diesel in vehicle engines

effects of carbon monoxide

- binds to haemoglobin and prevents it from carrying oxygen from lungs to tissues around the body

- if too much haemoglobin in RBCs are inactivated then brain damage may occur and possibly death

- low concentrations of carbon monoxide can increase health problems caused by chronic heart disease

control of carbon monoxide

- exhaust catalytic converters oxidise carbon monoxide to co2

- although co2 is also a pollutant, the increase in co2 emissions caused by oxidising co is very small compared with other emissions of co2