BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
URL: http://ioh.iums.ac.ir/article-1-283-en.html
Background and aims
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a major cause of mortality due to gas
inhalation. It is more prevalent in winter, because of poor indoor ventilation. The purpose of our
study was to evaluate exhaled carbon monoxide of students and to estimate their exposure to this gas.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was performed in winter 2008. The exhaled carbon
monoxide level of 184 students was assessed by breath analyzer. Questionnaire data were
collected to assess smoking habit, types of domestic exposures and symptoms of carbon monoxide intoxication.
Results
Students consists of 79 boys and 105 girls. Number of cases in carbon monoxide levels
of 0-6 ppm, 7-10ppm, 11-20ppm and above 20ppm were consecutively 150(81.52%),
23(12.50%), 10(5.43%) and 1(0.54%). The difference of symptoms in different groups was not significant.
Conclusion
Due to our results, 34(18.47%) cases of healthy nonsmoker students had abnormal
exhaled carbon monoxide level of more than 1-3 ppm which could be attributed to environmental
exposures. 11(5.97%) cases had carbon monoxide exhaled level of more than 11ppm which
exceeds the permissible exposure limits. More attention should be paid to the sources of carbon
monoxide exposure in children, in order to minimize morbidity and mortality related to carbon
monoxide intoxication.
Received: 2010/07/24 | Published: 2010/04/15
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
