Belief in the supernatural world beyond what we can observe has been a part of human culture for millennia. While many have sought to prove the existence of paranormal entities, there is an alternate explanation that the phenomenon is an internal experience. Experiences of paranormal contact occasionally include hearing or seeing unexplainable things, confusion, dizziness, weakness, and nausea. Perhaps more than coincidentally, these are also some of the most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning.
The confusion of carbon monoxide poisoning for spiritual haunting was recorded in a 1921 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology by Dr. William Wilmer. Wilmer writes of the distress of his patient, Mrs. H, who tells him the troubles her family has been experiencing since moving into an older and decrepit house. Frequently using gas lights in the absence of electricity, Mrs. H and her family began to be tormented by visions, voices, and physical illness. The family was petrified by the sounds of footsteps and moving furniture in empty rooms and by sinister apparitions in the dark. Mrs. H and her family had unexplained fatigue, pain, and headaches for months.
But this was not an isolated incident. In 2016, investigative journalist Carrie Poppy discussed a similar paranormal experience in her TEDx Talk. Poppy described agonizing chest pains and a constant sense of dread. Despite seeing psychiatrists, calling ghost hunters, and trying cleansing rituals, Poppy was still afflicted by the supernatural.
In both cases, the seemingly paranormal activity was actually caused by carbon monoxide poisoning. In Mrs. H’s house, the family’s furnace was spewing carbon monoxide into the home instead of the chimney. Similarly, when Poppy made a call to her gas company, she discovered her home had a leak. Her symptoms had been caused by a near-lethal amount of carbon monoxide inhalation.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be lethal if inhaled for prolonged amounts of time. Carbon monoxide is produced during the burning of gasoline, wood, propane, and other fuels. According to the CDC, the most common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion.
Carbon monoxide poisoning occurs when the gas is inhaled into the lungs and travels through the bloodstream. In the bloodstream, carbon monoxide binds to the protein hemoglobin. Normally, hemoglobin picks up oxygen molecules, which consist of two oxygen atoms, and transports them to the body’s tissues for use. Hemoglobin carries oxygen just tightly enough that it can be released throughout the body as efficiently as possible. If hemoglobin’s grip on oxygen is too loose, it won’t hold on long enough for oxygen to get where the body needs it to go. However, if hemoglobin holds onto oxygen too tightly, then it won’t let go of enough oxygen to supply the body. Unlike the relationship of oxygen molecules with hemoglobin, carbon monoxide, which contains a single oxygen atom, binds to hemoglobin with an affinity 220% greater than that of oxygen molecules. This tight binding of carbon monoxide with hemoglobin prevents oxygen from reaching the body’s tissues, causing cellular death. The lack of oxygen reaching the brain due to carbon monoxide poisoning can lead to a number of symptoms, including the visual and auditory hallucinations behind some lifelike paranormal experiences.
Hospital treatment for carbon monoxide poisoning includes breathing pure oxygen through a mask and, in extreme cases, the use of a ventilator. Another possible treatment, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, involves placing the patient in a pressurized chamber containing pure oxygen.
So unless you want a really spooky Halloween, it might be time to double-check your carbon monoxide detectors.
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