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Humans can breathe carbon monoxide – false

Question asked:

“Humans can breathe carbon monoxide.”
False
Confidence: High Checked on September 19, 2026

Summary

Humans can inhale carbon monoxide, but it is a poisonous gas that can cause sudden illness and death; it is not a gas that can be safely breathed.

Sources 60 searched

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  • Carbon Monoxide in Exhaled Breath Testing and Therapeutics - PMC

    Carbon monoxide (CO), and other similar low molecular weight gases including nitric oxide (NO), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) have gained much recent attention as “medically-relevant gases” [1-8], with respect to three major areas of investigation: (I) as endogenously produced biological mediators that may have physiological significance in the regulation of cellular and tissue homeostasis; (II) as exhaled substances on the breath that can be detected and evaluated as potential biomarkers of inflammation or disease, and (III) as candidate inhalation gaseous therapeutics for lung diseases and other disorders.

atsdr.cdc.gov
  • 1 CARBON MONOXIDE 1. PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT

    When a substance is released either ... always lead to exposure. You · can be exposed to a substance only when you come in contact with it. You may be exposed by breathing,...

  • 1 CARBON MONOXIDE 1. PUBLIC HEALTH STATEMENT

    This public health statement tells you about carbon monoxide and the effects of exposure to it. When a substance is released either from a large area, such as an industrial plant, or from a container, such as a drum or bottle, it enters the environment. Such a release does not always lead to exposure. You · can be exposed to a substance only when you come in contact with it. You may be exposed by breathing,

cdc.gov
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
osha.gov
  • Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

    Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous, colorless, odorless and tasteless gas. Although it has no detectable odor, CO is often mixed with other gases that do · have an odor. So, you can inhale carbon monoxide right along with gases that you

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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