When you breathe them, do Carbon monoxide and nitrogen act the same? (I know the lethality.)?

Question

Would a person breathing in Carbon monoxide experience more violent reactions than one breathing nitrogen?

Answer 1

Uh... you breathe nitrogen gas every day. It makes up 78% of the atmosphere. The stuff is completely harmless in most conditions.

Carbon monoxide, on the other hand, you DON'T breathe every day. When you do, each molecule essentially gets 'stuck' inside a hemoglobin molecule, making it completely unusuable. So enough exposure over time, even in small doses, can have a cumulative effect... the same one you might have if you were anemic: lightheadedness, and eventually death from hypoxia. This can happen even if there's plenty of oxygen in the air, because the blood is rendered incapable of picking it up.

Unless you die, it's not a permanent effect - blood cells are constantly being retired and new ones minted. After eight weeks your blood should be completely normal (unless you're exposed to carbon monoxide again).

If somehow you gave someone a supply of PURE nitrogen gas that had no oxygen in it, then yes, the effect would be about the same as that from other means of oxygen deprivation (like carmon monoxide). But I'd be hard pressed to think of where someone could get something like that, unless they're hanging out in scientific supply stores and like modifying oxygen masks or something.

Answer 2

Nitrogen is all around you its 78 % of the air with 21% oxygen and 1 % other minor gases. But you cannot breath straight nitrogen as it has no oxygen component.

Carbon Monoxide is a huge difference it is colourless, odourless and deadly. The reason is, that your blood likes CO better than it likes oxygen so when you breath it in, it saturates your blood with CO and will not allow any oxygen in to nourish your cells and. once you are overcome with CO it is very hard to extract from your system and if you are to survive it usually takes a hyperbaric chamber to force oxygen into your system.

Answer 3

Nitrogen is not poisonous, it forms a large part of the atmosphere, and we breathe it all the time. Carbon monoxide is poisonous, it combines with hemoglobin to form carboxyhemaglobin (a very stable compound) that will not give oxygen to cells.

Answer 4

The air we breath is about 70 percent nitrogen. Carbon dioxide however makes the blood acidous and is very toxic.

Answer 5

nitrogen comprises around 78% of the earths atmosphere you are breathing it right now

Answer 6

Both are a lack of oxygen. That is the bigger problem.

Answer 7

both gases will prevent your blood from getting oxygen, so in that sense yes

Answer 8

yes

Answer 9

inert gas...nitrogen...cm is toxic !