Question

what harm does carbon dioxide cause to health?

Answer 1

Carbon *dioxide* not in and of itself toxic - it's just that when it is present in the air in high concentrations, it means that there is relatively less oxygen available in the air. That, in turn, causes suffocation.

Now carbon monoxide, which perhaps you're thinking of, is a very different story...

Answer 2

ops, I meant carbon monoxide

Answer 3

Carbon monoxide is a very poisonous gas.

Oxygen is transported from the lungs to cells in other tissues by binding a transporter protein, hemoglobin, in the blood. That is, hemoglobin has a certain binding affinity (actually, as it can bind up to four oxygen molecules, a set of affinities - but that is beside the point) for oxygen molecules.

The trouble is, hemoglobin has a higher affinity for carbon monoxide molecules than it has for oxygen. Even when there are lots of oxygen molecules, hemoglobin will preferentially bind carbon monoxide. And once bound it won't unbind carbon monoxide. So when many of the hemoglobin molecules are bound to carbon monoxide, they won't be able to bind and transport oxygen.

Without oxygen, electron transport cannot take place and cells can't use that pathway to produce ATP so they run out of energy and die.

Basically you suffocate at the molecular level.

Answer 4

Oh, thank you. Great answer

Answer 5

You're quite welcome. :D