Many historical hauntings were actually carbon monoxide poisoning
Carbon monoxide not only outcompetes oxygen for hemoglobin, but also prevents already-bound oxygen from being released — this dual mechanism produces symptoms so bizarre they were historically mistaken for hauntings or mental illness.
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Carbon monoxide poisoning is often misdiagnosed as hauntings or psychiatric illness
A Reddit user received sticky notes in unfamiliar handwriting reminding them to do tasks, yet had no memory of writing them, plus severe headaches. Someone suggested not a ghost or the landlord, but CO poisoning causing confusion and memory loss. A detector read 100 ppm. The hosts stress that CO poisoning's worst aspect is that the brain doesn't suspect it immediately—instead it invents other explanations.
Hemoglobin's affinity for carbon monoxide is over 200 times that of oxygen
Oxygen depends on hemoglobin as a "transport truck" throughout the body. CO outcompetes oxygen for binding—with over 200 times higher affinity. Worse, CO left-shifts the oxygen dissociation curve, making hemoglobin reluctant to release already-bound oxygen. Dual strike: hemoglobin binds less oxygen and releases less oxygen. Tissues become hypoxic.
— Erin Allman UpdikeBetween 10 and 40 percent of CO survivors develop delayed neuropsychiatric symptoms
Between 10 and 40 percent of CO survivors develop delayed neuropsychiatric symptoms: depression, Parkinsonian features, dementia, psychosis. Medicine doesn't know who gets it, why, or whether dose or duration matters. This is why emergency departments often misdiagnose chronic CO exposure as a psychiatric episode.
— Erin Allman UpdikeThe only treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning is oxygen
No drug can metabolize carboxyhemoglobin; the only treatment is high-concentration oxygen to displace CO from hemoglobin. At normal oxygen levels, CO has a 4-6 hour half-life in blood; pure oxygen (100%) reduces this to 40-80 minutes; hyperbaric oxygen further reduces it to 15-30 minutes. However, not all hospitals have hyperbaric facilities.
— Erin Allman UpdikeScience magazine exposed a Boston haunting as CO poisoning in 1913
MIT researcher Franz Schneider Jr. was asked to investigate a Boston "haunted" apartment. Residents felt held down at night, paralyzed, saw hallucinations; children were lethargic by day and hard to wake; previous tenants reported identical symptoms—apparently proving the house was cursed. Schneider found an "extremely defective hot air furnace" leaking CO. Nearly identical cases appeared in a 1921 ophthalmology journal article.
Coal mine canaries detected danger 20 minutes before human collapse
Birds' respiratory systems extract oxygen far more efficiently than mammals, making them highly sensitive to gaseous toxins like CO. They fell from their perches about 20 minutes before humans lost consciousness. After a Welsh mining disaster in 1894, J.S. Haldane formally recommended deploying canaries in mines, though people had used them since the early 1800s. Miners had deep affection for the birds and maintained specialized revival boxes. The practice continued until the 1980s, when electronic detectors replaced them.
Intentional US CO deaths outnumber accidental deaths by 5 to 10 times
The US experiences approximately 600 accidental CO deaths per year. Intentional deaths—predominantly suicide—are 5 to 10 times higher, reaching up to 15,000 annually. A 2017 study estimated roughly 50,000 CO poisoning cases in the US yearly, with a 1-3% mortality rate. Globally, low- and middle-income countries see significantly higher rates of CO poisoning and death because coal and wood don't burn completely.
— Erin Allman UpdikeThe body naturally produces carbon monoxide; now scientists want it as medicine
Normal hemoglobin metabolism produces trace amounts of CO naturally. Scientists realized low-dose CO might work like nitric oxide—acting as a vasodilator, regulating inflammation, possibly functioning as a neurotransmitter. Slow-inhalation formulations are now in phase 1 clinical trials for vascular and inflammatory diseases. But administration methods and precise targeting remain in early-stage exploration.
— Erin Allman UpdikeIn their own words · checked verbatim
the affinity of our hemoglobin for carbon monoxide is over 200 times as great as it is for oxygen.
Erin Allman Updike12:40
something like 10 to 40 percent of people actually end up having delayed onset neuropsychiatric symptoms.
Erin Allman Updike25:55
coal fumes lead to heavy head and death
Erin Welsh31:03
he found a, quote, viciously defective hot air furnace, end quote, leaking loads of gas and carbon monoxide.
Erin Welsh41:18
Frankenstein of civilization, the automaton that turns on its maker, pursues him to the ends of the earth and finally destroys him
Erin Welsh44:20
apparently it was reported that a canary would faint or fall off its perch about 20 minutes before a human would faint.
Erin Welsh47:25
However, intentional deaths due to carbon monoxide are 5 to 10 times higher.
Erin Allman Updike51:40
Figures
| WHO 100 ppm exposure limit | no more than 15 minutes | 17:46 |
| Carboxyhemoglobin level in non-smokers | 0.5%-1.5% | 19:50 |
| Carboxyhemoglobin level in heavy smokers | up to 15% | 19:50 |
| CO half-life in blood at room temperature | 4-6 hours | 26:58 |
| CO half-life at 100% pure oxygen | 40-80 minutes | 26:58 |
| Annual accidental CO deaths in the US | approximately 600 | 51:40 |
Glossary
- carboxyhemoglobin
- Hemoglobin bound to carbon monoxide; its concentration is the diagnostic indicator for CO poisoning.
- hyperbaric oxygen
- Treatment in which patients breathe pure oxygen at pressure above one atmosphere to accelerate clearing CO from the body.
How to listen
People with gas appliances, fireplaces, or older homes; readers interested in medical history, toxicology, and misdiagnosis cases.
Skip the opening cocktail (Quarantini) intro and small talk ([6:23]-[7:35]).