Carbon monoxide attaches to red blood cells, stealing oxygen from your body it needs to survive. It blends with these cells over 200 times more smoothly than oxygen, leading to a condition known as carboxyhemoglobin saturation.
Carbon monoxide, in place of oxygen, then gets brought to the essential organs through the bloodstream. Simply put, carbon monoxide deprives your body of oxygen. Organs require oxygen; when they don’t have it, they begin to suffocate.
Your body takes a long time to eradicate carbon monoxide; however, it can be absorbed much more quickly.