5.1 Intro to Toxi: Air Pollutants Flashcards
5 Major Air Pollutants in industrialized countries
- carbon monoxide (CO) (which accounts for about 50% of the total amount of air pollutants)
- sulfur oxides (18%)
- hydrocarbons (12%)
- particulate matter (eg, smoke particles,10%)
- nitrogen oxides (6%).
Air pollution appears to be a contributing factor in (3)
- bronchitis
- obstructive pulmonary disease
- lung cancer
Air contaminants are regulated in the United States by the _______.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Air pollutant that is:
Colorless, tasteless, odorless and non-irritating gas. Silent Killer. Individuals found dead within their vehicles with no struggle
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Air pollutant that is:
Byproduct of incomplete combustion. gas stoves; generators and other gasoline powered equipment; automobile exhaust and tobacco smoke
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Air pollutant that is:
Easily absorbed through the lungs. Exposure may be acute or chronic. Has teratogenic potential
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Air pollutant:
T/F: Since vapes have heating devices in them, they can also produce carbon monoxide.
T
Air pollutant that is:
competes avidly with oxygen for hemoglobin.
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
The affinity of CO for hemoglobin is more than 200fold greater than that of oxygen
The threshold limit value of CO for an 8h workday is 25 parts per million (ppm); in heavy motor vehicle traffic, the concentration of CO may exceed 100 ppm.
CO is slightly lighter than air but mixes homogeneously in room air
CO < Air
CO = Room Air
Effect - Air pollutant that is:
causes tissue hypoxia
Headache occurs first,
followed by confusion, decreased visual acuity, tachycardia, syncope, coma, seizures, and death.
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Effect - Air pollutant that is:
Collapse and syncope occur when approximately 40% of hemoglobin has been converted to carboxyhemoglobin.
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO):
Prolonged hypoxia can result in irreversible damage to the ______ and the _______.
brain and myocardium
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO):
T/F: Exposure of a pregnant woman to elevated CO levels at critical fetal developmental periods may cause
fetal death or serious and irreversible but survivable birth defects.
T
Sources at home - Air pollutant that is:
Car left running in attached garage
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Sources at home - Air pollutant that is:
Clogged chimney, Corroded or disconnected water heater vent pipe, Gas or wood-burning fireplace, Cracked or loose furnace exchanger
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Sources at home - Air pollutant that is:
Improperly installed kitchen range or vent, Operating a grill indoors or in garage, Portable kerosene or gas heaters
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Mechanism of Action - Air pollutant that is:
______ combines tightly but reversibly with the oxygen
binding site of hemoglobin (Hb)
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Mechanism of Action - Air pollutant that is:
Produces Carboxyhemoglobin. Their blood becomes cherry-red
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Air pollutant that is:
Source from burning of coal; power plants
SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2)
Mechanism of Action - Air pollutant that is:
CO affinity 220x oxygen. CO has a higher affinity to bind compared
to oxygen
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Mechanism of Action - Air pollutant that is:
Reduced oxygen transfer to the tissues. Organs with the highest oxygen demand are most seriously affected (Brain, Heart and Kidneys)
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Mechanism of Action - Carbon Monoxide
T/F: Homoglobin carries oxygen and carbon dioxide. Carbon monoxide then binds very tightly to hemoglobin; thus, oxygen and carbon dioxide can no longer be carried
T
Mechanism of Action - Carbon Monoxide
What are the prgans with the highest oxygen demand and are most seriously affected (3)
(Brain, Heart and Kidneys)
CLINICAL EFFECTS:
Symptoms of tissue hypoxia
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
Causes hypoxia because instead of oxygen
being bound to hemoglobin then delivered
to tissues, it is carbon monoxide instead.
It displaces oxygen and carbon monoxide becomes circulated in the blood.
CLINICAL EFFECTS:
Psychomotor impairment
Reflexes are obtunded and gone.
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
CLINICAL EFFECTS:
When awake:
○ Headache and tightness in the temporal area
○ Confusion and loss of visual acuity
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
CLINICAL EFFECTS:
Tachycardia, tachypnea, syncope, and coma
The heart will try to compensate due to
hypoxia (lack of oxygen); the heart will
pump faster and harder. Eventually, they
lose consciousness.
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO) is Aggravated by (5)
- Heavy Labor
- High Altitude
- High ambient temperature
- Smoking Exposure
- Cardiorespiratory diseases
HEAVY LOAD: Ex. construction workers who carry heavy loads. They have a higher oxygen requirement, so they are easier to succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning.
HIGH ALTITUDE: Mountains, construction of high rise buildings
TREATMENT FOR CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)
- First step: Remove victim from source of CO
- 100% Oxygen is the specific antidote/antagonist for CO
- High concentrations of oxygen for a short amount of time only
- Hypothermic therapy
- Neuropsychological and motor dysfunction persists for a long time after treatment
CLINICAL EFFECTS:
Deep coma, convulsions, shock and respiratory
failure
Dies from respiratory failure
CARBON MONOXIDE (CO)