Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

The Facts About Hybrid Car Emissions and Global Warming

In recent years, hybrid cars have become increasingly popular. With rising gas prices and greater environmental awareness, consumers are turning to alternative technology. Manufacturers are making significant efforts to design cars that will satisfy all of their customers' demands: low fuel consumption, low cost, low noise pollution, state-of-the-art technology, and environmentally friendly. Enter the hybrid car - not only is it fuel efficient, but its emissions are much lower than conventional cars. 

Hybrid Technology

Far from being a new technology, hybrid technology has been in use for years in the making of locomotives, submarines, and buses. In a similar way, hybrid cars rely on a combination of two powers – electricity and fuel injection.

An idling or stopped hybrid car automatically uses electrical power. Once the car begins to accelerate, it reverts to using the fuel engine. Also most hybrids recharge the batteries automatically by converting the energy during braking. Different models of cars vary in terms of when the electric power is used. For example, the Honda Civic Hybrid uses electric power to assist the gas engine during acceleration or going up hills. Other models run on rechargeable electricity during city driving at low speed but run on gasoline when the car's speed increases such as during highway driving,

Low Emission

Hybrid cars emit far lower levels of pollutants in the air than conventional cars, resulting decreased pollution and reduced effects of global warming. Because no two people drive the same way, it is therefore difficult to estimate, but emissions can be reduced from 25% to 90%, when comparing hybrid cars to conventional gas-powered vehicles. Hybrid car emissions also vary depending on the type of car. Some manufacturers add hybrid technology to existing car models while other manufacturers completely redesign cars with low emission and efficiency at the core. In any case, lower toxic fumes are appreciated in our oil-based economies.

Hybrid vs. Electric

Many people associate hybrid cars with electric cars. However, the two are quite different. The hybrid does not need to be plugged into an electrical outlet to recharge. Gas motors switch on automatically when the battery gets low, and proceeds to charge the battery. Therefore, hybrid cars still use gas while electric cars do not.

A Green Design

Fuel efficiency in hybrid cars stems from numerous improvements.

• Improved aero dynamics
• Lower body weight
• Smaller, lighter, and less powerful gas engines

Carbon Monoxide Exposure from Cigarettes: Just one more Reason to Quit

Cigarette smoking is a highly addictive and dangerous habit that sees millions of North Americans trying to quit everyday. Thanks to the efforts of science, a great deal more is known today about the dangers of smoking than ever before. Increased publicity has led to better education of the general public on the hazards of cigarette smoke. Unfortunately, although many smokers know that smoking can lead to lung disease and cancer, few are aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is present in every cigarette causing a legitimate threat to a person's health. Anyone who smokes, regardless of how often, should know about carbon monoxide and how it affects the body when it is inhaled.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is known as the silent killer because it is colorless and odorless and thus virtually impossible for a human to detect. The symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure are typically seemingly harmless, which is why detection of CO poisoning often comes too late. In the body of a smoker, CO blocks the absorption of oxygen into the bloodstream from the lungs. This process has the effect of poisoning the red blood cells in a way that prevents them from carrying oxygen. When body tissues do not receive a constant and adequate supply of oxygen, they cease to function.

In the same way that a car's tail pipe releases CO, so does a lit cigarette when someone smokes it. Studies have indicated that a CO molecule more closely resembles hemoglobin than an oxygen molecule. This means that the CO found in cigarettes replaces oxygen in the blood. When this happens it becomes difficult for the red blood cells to do their job and carry oxygen throughout the body. Research has shown that a person who smokes a pack of cigarettes in an 8-hour time period will see their CO blood saturation rise to between 7 and 15 percent, thus reducing the availability of oxygen to the body. This seems especially dangerous when you consider that the normal rate of CO in the blood is between 0 and 8 parts per million.

Compared to most cases of carbon monoxide exposure, cigarette smoking appears to be the lesser threat. Smoking cigarettes typically does not create carbon monoxide levels that pose an imminent threat; however, this is not to say that the body does not suffer from exposure to the CO found in cigarettes. As an immediate effect, the CO in cigarettes can cause shortness of breath and an increased heart rate. Over time, a smoker's risk escalates and prolonged CO exposure, even at low levels, can lead to heart disease. In addition, CO in cigarettes also contributes to a buildup of fat on the artery walls. This buildup is potentially dangerous and often the cause of heart failure.

There are many dangers associated with smoking and unfortunately, many people do not realize that carbon monoxide exposure is one of them. Although carbon monoxide levels caused by cigarettes are relatively low, there are still some long and short-term risks that should be recognized. Carbon monoxide in cigarettes is just one more reason why smoking is a habit to kick!

Alexandria Haber is a freelance writer and is the head researcher and content manager for A Guide to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - www.carbon-monoxide-poisoning.com.

• Previous Posts:

• The Facts About Hybrid Car Emissions and Global Warming
• Boating and Boat Safety: Reduce the Odds of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
• Carbon Monoxide Exposure from Cigarettes: Just one more Reason to Quit
• The Dangers of Excessive Home Weatherizing and Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

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