Carbon monoxide has a deservedly bad reputation as a silent killer;it causes the death of many people each year.Yet,small quantities of the gas are essential for life.CO is generated naturally in the body,mainly by enzymes that catalyse the oxidation of heme-the iron-containing pigment in blood.This enzymatic reaction is all apparent to us when we develop a bruise:firstly,purple-red oxygenated hemoglobin is oxidised and heme gradually liberated and oxidised.
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