Aviation fuel contains carbon and is a ready source of carbon monoxide when burned. Expect carbon monoxide whenever an internal combustion engine is operating. Even though piston engines produce the highest concentrations of carbon monoxide, exhaust from turbine engines could also cause carbon monoxide poisoning.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a colorless odorless tasteless gas that is deadly. To understand why, here are some terms used in this short article. Hypoxemia: This means reduced oxygen in the blood. Hypoxia: This means reduced oxygen in the tissues. Hemoglobin: This is a protein in our red blood cells. It is the primary means in which the blood transports oxygen to the tissues. When oxygen becomes “combined” with hemoglobin, it causes the blood to turn “cherry” red. Dissolved Oxygen: Oxygen molecules are also transported in the blood in a dissolved state. It is similar to how oxygen is dissolved in water; it is where fish get their oxygen. However, the amount of dissolved oxygen in blood is miniscule compared to oxygen carried on hemoglobin. Cyanosis: This is the bluish discoloration of the skin that occurs when a person suffers hypoxia. It can also be detected in our nailbeds and our lips.
Carbon Monoxide can be deadly for the following reasons. First...hemoglobin has an affinity (or attraction) for CO that is 210 times greater than for oxygen. This causes the victim to begin experiencing hypoxemia, which quickly leads to tissue hypoxia. Second...despite having hypoxia, the victim does NOT exhibit cyanosis! This is because the CO-Hemoglobin complex produces an even brighter cherry-red color in the blood. Their skin, lips and nailbeds will be very red. The person suffering from CO exposure can be fooled into thinking they are getting plenty of oxygen. But they are not.
What are other symptoms? Low levels of CO in the blood causes headaches, nausea, confusion and fatigue. Prolonged exposure causes symptoms to worsen. If the level of CO continues to increase in the blood, the victim will lose consciousness.
What is the treatment? It depends on the severity of the symptoms. The thing to remember is the hemoglobin is all “bound-up” with CO; it does not go away quickly. Therefore oxygen therapy is focused on getting greater amounts of DISSOLVED oxygen in the plasma. This can be accomplished with the patient breathing 100% oxygen. If the degree of CO poisoning is more pronounced, hyperbaric oxygen therapy is recommended.
After the Chapter 1610 general business meeting, Trudi Amundson facilitated a WINGS-approved educational session with a video about a Minnesota pilot who suffered Carbon Monoxide poisoning during a cross-country flight between Thunder Bay, Canada and Winona, MN. You can view this video titled, "Surviving CO Poisoning in the Cockpit", originally created by the Colorado Pilots Association. Go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONNtA4mCi8Y
You can also read this story that was published in the October/November 2022 issue of Minnesota Flyer.com. Go to https://midwestflyer.com/?p=13674
It is an amazing...and sobering story.
