Do the low levels of carbon monoxide inhaled from driving on the expressway or in traffic do damage?

Question

Do the low level amounts of carbon monoxide that we inhale while commuting on a daily basis have any effect whatsoever on the body or brain? I live in a fairly rural area, so my exposure is minimal, except for at the occassional red light. Just curious.

Answer 1

Cars today put out minimal CO. So there shouldn't be a problem

Answer 2

They just released a report that women who live near highways are few time more likely to suffer birth defects during pregnancy.  So it is very possible.

EXCEPT the distance have to be VERY close (like 1 block).  

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In general people who live in large cities have higher health (and lung) problem.  But  again the difference is very minor.

Good luck...

Answer 3

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas which converts the red cells in the blood into something that the body cannot use. The body opposes this by generating new blood cells but it takes time and requires an iron intake which is often difficult for the body to find.

Low levels of carbon monoxide are less harm-full, but one should try to avoid them, because their effects can accumulate over the time it takes for the blood to be renewed.

This deadly gas has no smell. The effect on us is to produce a lack of oxygen particularly to the brain, dizziness and eventually unconsciousness and death. Police men and women who direct the traffic suffer from the effects of breathing this gas and so do commuters who wait for long times in idling traffic (especially when the car windows are open). The results are not usually fatal unless the person involved already has breathing difficulties, and provided he/she has enough sense to know when a feeling of faintness is coming on and can avoid breathing any more of this gas.