A - carbon monoxide:
Carbon monoxide (CO) is colorless, tasteless and smells less chemically neutral gas. It is relatively lighter than air, and it is flammable; it could be turned into carbon dioxide.
Carbon monoxide results from incomplete combustion of carbon materials and internal combustion the like of which in car engines especially in presence of defects or inefficiency of some of these machines. Carbon monoxide is one of charcoal gas components; it is composed in laboratory by mixing sulfuric acid and formic acid.
Poisoning by Carbon monoxide:
Carbon monoxide is responsible for many deaths annually. Most of these cases occur especially in winter owing to heating by charcoal in a room lacking ventilation. Carbon monoxide causes the death of the majority of fire victims particularly inside domiciles before fire spreads.
Poisoning by carbon monoxide is painless because the gas disables movement and talk immediately before the coma of death. Smoking cigarettes and tobacco might cause poisoning because carbon monoxide is one of the key components of tobacco.
Symptoms of poisoning:
Symptoms and signs of poisoning by carbon monoxide relate with three factors:
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Amount of gas and concentration in the air.
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Length of exposure.
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Activity during inhalation.
These three factors lead to an imbalance for hemoglobin in blood; thus, symptoms of lack of oxygen in the body especially the brain appear. If the amount of gas and exposure increased, headache accompanied by anxiety, confusion and a sense of dizziness and imbalance in vision, nausea, vomiting could be felt; fainting occurs with any muscular effort. With the increased concentration of gas, the situation develops into coma, respiratory failure and death. If a person inhaled high concentration of carbon monoxide from the beginning, the consciousness case and coma could immediately occur without warning. In gradual poisoning cases, the poisoned person can notice his disability to make any effort and the difficulty if breathes, accompanied by much sweating and fever if he moves or relaxes.
Some of the symptoms associated with poisoning by carbon monoxide are liver inflation, skin symptoms, increase in the number of white blood cells (WBC) and bleeding; glucose and albumin are shown in the urine sometimes. The most serious symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are brain edema and cerebral pressure increase resulting from increased permeability of blood capillaries of the brain that suffer serious shortage of oxygen; the suffering of the heart muscle from lack of oxygen is reflected as changes in the electro cardiography. The most distinctive symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are red color skin and mucous membranes owing to the color of hemoglobin.
Poisoning treatment:
The rescue of the cases affected by carbon monoxide poisoning depends on providing effective artificial respiration in presence of oxygen and absence of any carbon monoxide. Pure oxygen is utilized if possible, since it allows replacement of carbon monoxide by oxygen, at least to partially mitigate the effects of lack of oxygen in the tissues by dissolving oxygen in blood plasma; that is why pressurized oxygen is utilized for cases of serious poisoning. Blood transfusion or transfer of intensive red blood cells might have good impacts in treatment in this regard. To reduce the need of tissues for oxygen, the patient must remain completely standstill; cooling the body to help reduce such a need for oxygen may be conducted.
The symptoms of poisoning vanish gradually with the progress of treatment. Yet, in the event of a continuing and severe lack of oxygen arriving to the tissues, nervous symptoms like like tremors and mental disorders may show up. Microscopic changes may appear owing to lack of oxygen in the tissues of the cerebral cortex, heart muscle and other organs.
B - Hydrogen sulfide gas:
Hydrogen sulfide chemically recognized as (H2S) is also known as "hydrogen gas" because it often emits from the wastes mold, with a strong and insightful stink. In cases of high levels, hydrogen sulfide gas could be cause of sickness or death.
Nature of hydrogen sulfide gas:
Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless, foul-smelling and strong gas that smells like rotten eggs that is naturally available in the environment. The gas emits from wastes containing sulfur. It may emit from wastes of livestock, human drainage systems and trucks transporting chemical wastes.
The gas might be present in ground waters, especially in the wells near the oil fields or wells that permeate sand rocks and in the areas of oil refineries; it is possible as well that the gas emits from industries based on sulfur compounds.
Exposure to hydrogen gas:
Exposure to the gas is possible through inhalation or even through the skin or eye. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide gas may occur at work; or at home, where exposure might be through sewage systems, which contain hydrogen sulfide gas.
The gas smells like stinky "Rotten eggs" thus those who work in the fields of livestock, sewage systems, oil refineries and chemical companies may be exposed to hydrogen sulfide gas in the area of their work.
Impacts of hydrogen sulfide gas on human health:
Exposure to higher levels of hydrogen sulfide gas can lead to eye, nose and lungs irritability. Since the hydrogen sulfide gas has stinky and strong smell, it consequently lead to allergy and irritability for the eye, dizziness, cough and headache; and it might be lethal. Deaths occur when people enter into poorly ventilated places such as sewage systems, deep wells and tanks of underground fluids. The gas is heavier than air, therefore is concentrated in higher near the surface of the ground.
It has been found that chronic neurological problems occur in people who were exposed to gas in the short term, but at high levels. Some heart injuries have been monitored in such cases.
Protection against hydrogen sulfide gas:
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Ensure that the sewage pipes were installed and maintained properly;
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Through identification and removal of gas source, especially during plumbing.
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Increase ventilation and air conditioning in areas affected by the problem to reduce exposure to this gas temporarily.
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Strictly follow the instructions limiting exposure to chemicals such as hydrogen sulfide gas.