| Carbon Monoxide Concentration in Air |
|---|
| Percent in Air | Parts per Million | Comment |
|---|
| 0.005 | 50 | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) maximum permissible exposure limit averaged over an 8-hr day | | 0.01 | 100 | OSHA stand ard: Maritime worker peak concentration limit | | 0.02 | 200 | OSHA stand ard: Brief exposures during loading and unloading cargo are permissible | | 0.04 | 400 | The level of CO in cigarette smoke is eight times higher than the OSHA permissible exposure limit | | 0.08 | 800 | Headache, dizziness, and nausea in 45 min; collapse and possible unconsciousness in 2 hr | | 0.16 | 1600 | Headache, dizziness, and nausea in 20 min; collapse and possible death in 2 hr | | 0.32 | 3200 | Headache and dizziness in 5–10 min; unconsciousness and possible death in 10–15 min | | 0.64 | 6400 | Headache and dizziness in 1–2 min; possible death in 10–15 min | | 1.28 | 12,800 | Immediate unconsciousness; possible death in 1–3 min |
|
SOURCES: Adapted from Hamilton, A, and Hardy, H: Industrial Toxicology, ed 3. Publishing Sciences Group, Littleton, MA, 1974. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).