ABSTRACT
Carbon monoxide (CO) contamination and poisoning dates back to the roots of civilization and industrializa tion (1). It was mentioned as early as the ancient Roman era, and early Greek physicians stated that carbon monoxide was harmful to the human body. Carbon monoxide was used by both the Greeks and Romans to execute criminals (2). In 1895, Haldane first demon strated that carbon monoxide combined with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemoglobin (COHb), which blocks oxy gen binding and thereby decreases the amount of hemo globin available for oxygen transport (3-5).
