A compound formed when carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin in the blood, preventing oxygen from being transported through the body.
From 'carbo-' plus 'hemoglobin.' The term emerged in medical and physiological literature in the 19th century as doctors studied how carbon monoxide poisoning affects the body.
Carbon monoxide is a silent killer because it forms carbohemoglobin so readily that your body never realizes your blood can't carry oxygen—this is why car exhaust and faulty heaters are deadly, and why carbon monoxide detectors save lives.
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