What harm does carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide do?

Answer 1

A very valid question, and I am quite surprised this has not been answered by a ture scientist. I hope there is one who will take my comments here & shred them with facts.

I hear so much about attempts to lower carbon dioxide, but I don't think that's the real issue. I believe the real issue is carbon monoxide. I did a Google search on Photosynthesis, and here is one of the basic resulting pictures:

Plants naturally convert carbon dioxide in the photosynthesis process. Other living organizms, such as algae, also contribute to this effect.

Now, moving on to the real beast:

Carbon Monoxide

What causes Carbon monoxide by % (image from a Google search)

According to a public broadcast, I watched a real scientist explain how carbon monoxide levels have been monitored since the 1950's. They monitored from Hawaii, and he was clear to mention that there was never a year that had a notable decrease in carbon monoxide levels. Even though I was able to locate charts indicating reduced levels of carbon monoxide (in certain local monitored areas) I would need to agree, there is no proof of ever having a reduced monoxide level in the past 60 years.

The main speaker was quite informed, and I am sorry, I am unable to reference his name. He gave a great segment on the ocean, and its natural ability to absorb carbon monoxide. The waves, at the surface level would, at one time, would absorb the carbon monoxide from the atmosphere, and these solid molecular chains would fall down through the salty water to the ocean basin, where they would begin to decompose into their natural elements, or even returning to their original fuel states. The problem, as I remember from the speech, was that the upper levels of the ocean (say 5'-15') are saturated so much with carbon monoxide, that it acts like a protective barrier for the process to start. Much like oil resting on top of water ... as seen in Italian dressing. This layer is like a blanket that prevents the process of breaking down the carbon monoxide.

The health effects:

The saturation level of carbon monoxide is measured in "parts per million" (ppm)... or if 1,000,000 air parts were measured, how much of that would be carbon monoxide.

On minor levels, it is relatively harmless, but as the levels increase, the bloodstream can become saturated, and much like the ocean, our red bloodcells have some troubles getting the natural air they need to breathe properly.

Many health complications are caused when exposed to increased levels of carbon monoxide. Here are some effects of increased carbon monoxide levels:

Carbon dioxide, in contrast, doesn't seem to be the main atmospheric harming agent to me. When I see gasoline companies on comercials saying "We're doing research to lower carbon dioxide levels" I wonder if they know what they are doing. Do they have a clue that what we should be concerned with as a consumer is the carbon monoxide levels. I'm thinking, hey, you know it sounds good, but what you're saying sounds like you're trying to pull the wool over everyone's eyes. As seen in the picture near the top 97.4% of the lethal carbon monoxide is from motor vehicles (From the fuel that the Gas company is making). But they show a fancy lab & one hell of a molecule & say, "We're doing what we can to reduce carbon dioxide".

On a side note:

One thing is certain, it is painfully obvious something is way out of balance. I personally believe this imbalance (caused by abuse, and possibly a misunderstanding between these two molecular chains) could also be the cause of the bees forsaking their hives. Bees are responsible for one out of every three bites that people consume. As their numbers plumet we could rapidly be nearing a global food epidemic. The physiology of a bee is much different than a humans, and as these monoxide levels continue to increase, we are aparently reaching a threshold where Earth's atmosphere is unsuitable for their existence.

My best estimate, with a workforce of say, 10-12million people it would take well over 40 years to begin reversing the process. I do believe it is possible to cure the oceans, and reverse the process, but the damage has happened on a scale of 2/3 the Earth's surface 15' deep. Somehow the 50,000,000 Tons of carbon monoxide need to be reduced. I don't think the petrol company's efforts to reduce carbon dioxide will fix the problem with carbon monoxide in time.

John Grund

xp_lionheart@Yahoo.com

P.S. Please include Carbon Monoxide in the subject line, if you chose to reply to me directly. Thank you.

Answer 2

Carbon dioxide contributes to global warming by trapping heat in the atmosphere, leading to climate change. Carbon monoxide, on the other hand, is a toxic gas that can interfere with the body's ability to transport oxygen, potentially leading to health issues such as headaches, dizziness, and even death in high concentrations.