Carbon monoxide exposure one or more times
in the past. How can I tell?

Carbon monoxide exposure - if you have had a higher than normal level of exposure then you have been poisoned, it is a question of how severe it is.

Blood can be tested for unsafe levels of carbon monoxide but only if it is done within a few hours after a person is removed from the source of carbon monoxide.

As soon as a person breathes fresh air the level of carbon monoxide in the blood begins to decrease and slowly returns to normal levels. However, a person may still experience effects. Some people are at higher risk of effects than others.

To our knowledge, there are no medical tests that can directly confirm that a person has been exposed-to and poisoned-by carbon monoxide at some point in the past. Please contact us if you are aware of a definitive test.

However, the likelihood of previous carbon monoxide exposure and therefore poisoning can be indirectly investigated several ways.

If you suspect you may have had carbon monoxide exposure one time in the past:

• To the best of your recollection, did you at some point experience symptoms and effects typical of one time carbon monoxide exposure / poisoning (acute CO poisoning)?
  
  
• Did you or are you experiencing short term symptoms and effects?
  
  
• Are you experiencing long term symptoms and effects?
  
  
• Did/has anyone else at your location complained of similar symptoms? If yes, did everyone’s symptoms appear about the same time?
  
  
• Were any pets at your location acting sick, withdrawn, or off-balance?
  
  
• Are there/have there been any out-of-the-ordinary circumstances or potential sources of carbon monoxide? (vehicle/generator/equipment left running in/near the building or near a fresh air intake, trades people doing work of any kind on or near the premises, etc.)
  
  
• Are there/have there been any potential conditions or circumstances that could cause carbon monoxide levels to rise?
  
  
• Have you been in any conditions or circumstances similar to sources of one-time carbon monoxide exposure / poisonings.

If you suspect you may have had carbon monoxide exposure multiple times in the past:

• Did you or have you been experiencing symptoms typical of multiple low level carbon monoxide exposure / poisoning (chronic CO poisoning)?
  
  
• Did symptoms seem to get worse after spending time at the suspected location (home, work, vehicle, etc)?
  
  
• Do symptoms seem to disappear or decrease when you leave the location and reappear when you return?
  
  
• Did you or are you experiencing any short to mid term effects or delayed symptoms from carbon monoxide exposure?
  
  
• Are you experiencing long term symptoms and effects?
  
  
• Did/has anyone else at your location complained of symptoms or had health issues typical of multiple carbon monoxide exposure / poisonings? If yes, did everyone’s symptoms appear about the same time?
  
  
• Has there been any construction, renovation, or upgrades to the suspected location in the last five years? Or even longer? Was the work located anywhere near the heating or mechanical system?
  
  
• Are there/have there been any potential conditions or circumstances that could cause the carbon monoxide levels to rise in a building or area?
  
  
• Have you been in any conditions or circumstances similar to the examples in carbon monoxide sources in multiple low level poisonings.

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Symptoms

Caroline Probyn from UK

Thinking back I went through a phase of having very strange experiences at night .... I would begin to wake from my sleep but as I did so I would hear a loud cracking sound or feel like my head was about to explode!

Then a strange weird sensation which was worse if I had been woken in the night at all by my child for example ... It would always happen early morning.. and was so unpleasant almost like I was dying ... like I was trying to get back into my body but couldn't and that my head was just about to burst!

It certainly started during the time I am most likely to have been poisoned. Has anyone else experienced anything like this ???

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Pets acting strangely

Cassandra from UK

My initial CO poisoning was discovered 30 yeas ago but symptoms a few years ago were "discovered by my cat. It kept leaping about in a strange way and took to sleeping on the landing.

I thought it could be associated with blasting going on few miles away and spoke to man from the company. He said shock waves possibly traveling along rock being picked up by cats sensitive nervous system. Wow, what a revelation! My cat knew there was a danger situation before anyone else did!

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"low" level poisonings?

Sandra Hiser from Livermore, CA

I suppose anything that doesn't knock you out or kill you is considered low level poisoning?

I was exposed for two years, resulting in many non-specific symptoms. Now, I'm not sure how severe the damage is and how to approach it.

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