Carbon monoxide connects to red blood cells, stealing oxygen from your body it needs to thrive. It combines with these cells more than 200 times more easily than oxygen, resulting in a condition known as carboxyhemoglobin saturation.
Carbon monoxide, in place of oxygen, then gets brought to the essential organs by the bloodstream. Simply put, carbon monoxide deprives your body of oxygen. Organs need oxygen; when they don’t have it, they begin to suffocate.
Your body takes a long time to get rid of carbon monoxide; however, it can be taken in much faster.