Final answer:
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, and in severe cases, drowsiness, poor judgment, and death due to its high affinity for hemoglobin, which impedes oxygen delivery throughout the body.
Step-by-step explanation:
Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning can cause a variety of symptoms that may affect an individual's health in both short-term and long-term scenarios. Primarily, symptoms of carbon monoxide exposure include a range of non-specific effects such as headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion. These symptoms are often described as 'flu-like'. In more severe cases, CO poisoning can lead to drowsiness, poor judgment, loss of consciousness, arrhythmias, seizures, or even death. It is important to recognize that CO has a high affinity for hemoglobin, meaning it binds more readily than oxygen, which leads to decreased oxygen delivery to the body's organs and tissues. Long-term exposure to CO can result in chronic fatigue, memory problems, movement disorders, and serious brain damage.