Side Effects of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The majority of poisoning cases related to carbon monoxide cause injuries that threaten lives, damage that can be permanent, or even death.

This poisonous gas cannot be detected by vision, taste, or scent. Victims normally suffer catastrophic injuries without any knowledge of being exposed to toxic high levels of carbon monoxide.

The side effects of carbon monoxide poisoning can be life-threatening, catastrophic, or even permanent.

A number of sources produce carbon monoxide, such as the following: defective devices or equipment; smoke from fire; non-vented lanterns and heaters; and exhaust fumes from vehicles, machines, and tools.

Numerous side-effects of carbon monoxide poisoning can be immediate; others surface later, normally after exposure to the fatal gas.


Many immediate side-effects of sustained injuries caused by exposure to carbon monoxide include blurred vision, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and vomiting.


The victim, in some cases, will experience weakness, chest pain, muscle pain, and a heartbeat that is irregular.

You may even experience difficulty in breathing, or a faster-than-usual-pace breathing.

There are victims who may endure fainting, confusion, or seizures.

As for side-effects at a late stage, a number of side-effects manifest long after immediate response to exposure to carbon monoxide.

Symptoms at a late stage can include depression, behavioral changes, levels of increased anxiety, handshaking or finger tremors, difficulty in urination or bowel movement, cognitive issues with movement issues to bend arms and legs, and walk, and clear thinking challenges.

There are victims who experience difficult to control facial muscles, making chewing and speaking a challenge.

The level of exposure and dosage, as well as the reaction time of the victim to the noxious gas, can determine if sustained injuries are temporary or permanent.

An evaluation of carbon monoxide poisoning side effects, in addition, can result in a number of tests, methods and exams available to make a conclusive diagnosis of the problem.

A physician can offer a complete diagnosis through various tests, which include: 


A comprehensive neurological exam to detect how a brain after exposure to carbon monoxide gases operates.

Part of the examination will entail checking hand grasp, the pupils of the patient, balance and memory.

A complete blood test can make a determination of the carbon monoxide poisoning level, and any adverse side-effects as a result of exposure.

Blood gases blood test can evaluate oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood of the patient to determine the exposure level.

A continuous monitoring of the cardiac rhythm of the patient with the use of an EKG machine can work efficiently to determine any damage to the heart caused by carbon monoxide exposure.

The level of carbon monoxide in the patient upon exhalation can be analyzed and captured to diagnose the level of toxins in the body.

The signs and symptoms experienced by the injured patient can become fatal quickly without treatments, immediate and long-term.

The victim suffers, in many incidences, lung problems, long-term heart damage, and catastrophic brain issues.

At times, the patient will suffer a coma or heart attack, or there will be malfunctioning kidneys.

Contact us for a free consultation or call Anzalone Law Firm PLLC, at: 603.548.3797.