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The chemical formula is CO. When we breathe carbon monoxide the oxygen combines with hemoglobin and creates carboxyhemoglobin. When the red blood cells containing this carboxyhemoglobin reach the lungs, they cannot release the carbon (which should be carbon dioxide) and collect fresh oxygen. So if enough red blood cells contain malfunctioning oxygen-carbondioxide exchange mechanisms, it causes asphyxiation (oxygen deprivation) and death.

Other terms to further study are : oxidative phosphorylation, cytochrome oxidase, and respiratory control.

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16y ago

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