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First things first, lots of people do not understand that there's a difference between CO (carbon monoxide) and CO2 (carbon dioxide).
- Carbon monoxide is chemically unstable, breaks down after some time, and is highly toxic to mammals.
- Carbon dioxide is pretty much harmless, your body produces it and you exhale it with every breath, plants breathe it the way animals breathe oxygen, and it's the gas which has all the "I have an Arts Degree so I feel qualified to talk about global warming" idiots up in arms.
If you burn almost anything *without* enough oxygen, you get CO. You burn it *with* enough oxygen, you get CO2 and water vapor (steam).
Mammals have red blood because we have hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is, in fact, the iron compound which makes your blood red. Hemoglobin also makes CO (carbon monoxide) deadly, because it binds better to CO than it does to O2 (diatomic oxygen as found in air).
With all your hemoglobin bound to CO, your blood doesn't pick up any/enough O2 from your lungs, and you suffocate. Since you're still inhaling/exhaling as normal, it's not uncomfortable like someone is holding a pillow over your face or you're drowning - you can breathe as normal, it's just not doing anything. So you fall asleep... and don't wake up.
Is insect "blood" equally vulnerable? I doubt it for a few reasons:
- When I squish an insect, the only time I see red blood is when it's a mosquito, and that's MY blood, not mosquito blood.
- Insects evolved a lot earlier in the world's history than mammals. Like 'em or not, insects were here first. And the world was a lot more hostile when they made their first appearance; my suspicion is that CO (carbon monoxide) was a lot more prevalent in the atmosphere than it is today.
- If insects were as susceptible to carbon monoxide as mammals are, you could fumigate your house yourself by setting a charcoal barbecue with glowing embers in your basement and leaving it overnight. This does not work - but is a popular technique for human suicides in Japan.
Are insects equally vulnerable? I haven't found a satisfactory answer.
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∙ 11y ago
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Can carbon monoxide kill spiders and insects?
Yes, put a spider in a 5 gallon bucket and ran exhaust into it for a minute or two, sealed the bucket and the spider died
What can carbon monoxide dangerous and may kill you?
When you breathe it in, carbon monoxide prevents your blood cells from carrying enough oxygen.
Does charcoal contain carbon monoxide?
It does not contain carbon monoxide, but it will likely produce carbon monoxide when burned.
Is carbon monoxide c02?
no that is carbon dioxide,carbon monoxide is CO
Can you vent the exhaust vent of a upstairs natural gas dryer into the basement without being carbon-oxide poisoned?
No. Products of combustion are: carbon dioxide, water, carbon monoxide, and light Carbon monoxide this is why it is vented outside. CO is odorless and can KILL YOU.
Can carbon monoxide kill spiders and insects?
Yes, put a spider in a 5 gallon bucket and ran exhaust into it for a minute or two, sealed the bucket and the spider died
What can carbon monoxide dangerous and may kill you?
When you breathe it in, carbon monoxide prevents your blood cells from carrying enough oxygen.
Why carbon monoxide poisonous whereas carbon dioxide is not?
Monoxide is odorless and contains harmful elements in it, that can actually kill a person.
What smells can kill parakeets?
The smell of Carbon Monoxide is one
Will carbonmonoxide kill bees?
no carbon monoxide will not kill bees. It does slow them down though.
What gas was used in order to kill Holocaust victims?
carbon monoxide
How do you recover from carbon monoxide?
There is not a way. It may kill you.
How does carbon monoxide affect the chesapeake bay?
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a poison which invades a cell's electron transport chain and basically suffocates the cell of ATP, the energy produced by the cell to power the cell. Carbon Monoxide effects all the cells in an organism's body and will eventually kill that organism. This will happen to all the organisms in the bay is the carbon monoxide spreads far enough and will kill all life.
Do people and animals pruduse carbon monixide?
No and besides carbon monoxide can kill you because it's a deadly gas.
Can a hole in the exhaust cause you to loose gas mileage?
No, but it can kill you from carbon monoxide poisoning or at the very least put you to sleep and cause you to have a wreck. Carbon monoxide is odorless, and tasteless.
Can car exhaust kill you?
Yes, the carbon monoxide coming out of the car's enginewill cause you to suffocate.
How does a cars emission kill a person?
The exhaust releases about 3 percent carbon monoxide
