Today in History Today is Wednesday, Aug. 17, the 230th day of 2016. There are 136 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Aug. 17, 1807, Robert Fulton's North River Steamboat began heading up the Hudson River on its successful round trip between New York and Albany.
carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide carbon dioxide co2 and carbon monoxide co are sometimes confused they are quite different in their effects on humans carbon dioxide co2 is present in the atmosphere today at 385 parts per million by volume or 0 039 percentarbon monoxide co unlike co2 is a bad poison co is produced by incomplete combustion i e when there isn t enough oxygen to make co2 you get co carbon monoxide binds very strongly to the iron in the hemoglobin in the blood once carbon monoxide attaches it is very difficult to release
Carbon Dioxide, on the other hand, cannot form COHb to inhibit the transport of oxygen, though high levels can be toxic, but through a different process. Toxic levels of carbon dioxide are less likely to be produced in natural circumstances, but OSHA (in the United States) has set limits and regulations on the handling and safe exposure to it. Carbon Monoxide is deadly at only 0.04% atmosphere concentration, while Carbon Dioxide not considered deadly until much higher concentration of 5%. Both CO and CO2 are toxic to aerobic animal life (oxygen-breathers), because both block the absorbtion of oxygen. Carbon monoxide is just more potent.