What is Carbon monoxide (CO)?

Carbon monoxide is a sneaky invisible gas that can make you feel sleepy or even sick if you breathe too much of it.

Imagine you're playing with your toy car in the garage, and your dad starts up the lawnmower. The engine makes a loud vroom, and suddenly, there's this invisible gas floating around, carbon monoxide. It’s like a tiny, invisible friend that likes to hang out near engines, especially when they're running.

Carbon monoxide is made when something burns without enough oxygen. Think of it like a fire that’s stuck in a room with only one door open, the flames can’t breathe properly, so they make a different kind of smoke, and carbon monoxide is part of that smoke.

Your body usually takes in oxygen from the air and uses it to help your cells work hard. But if you're breathing in carbon monoxide instead, it sneaks into your blood and pushes out the oxygen, like a little thief taking the oxygen’s seat on the bus.

That's why sometimes people feel dizzy or sleepy when they’re near engines that are running, because carbon monoxide is trying to take over!