Automobiles such as cars, long vehicles, etc., discharge carbon monoxide through the exhaust pipe which circulates into the air/environment. You can decide to sit in your car while the car is running to either wait on someone or for your order to be ready, in that case, will you get carbon monoxide? Can you get carbon monoxide from sitting in your car outside while it’s running?
Yes, you can get carbon monoxide poisoning from sitting in your car outside while it is running if the car is discharging too much smoke with a void under the car that causes the smoke to find its way into the cabin.
Can You Get Carbon Monoxide from Sitting in Your Car Outside?
Absolutely. You can get carbon monoxide poisoning from sitting in your car while the engine is running, if the exhaust smoke finds its way inside the car with limited ventilation, you will definitely get carbon monoxide poisoning.
However, you can’t just get carbon monoxide poisoning easily by sitting in your car outside while it’s running. Something must have caused you to get carbon monoxide poisoning. Smoke can’t just find its way into the cabin except something prompted it.
Moreover, car manufacturers don’t make cars that are not safe. You can’t just get poisoned by carbon monoxide just by sitting in the car outside. Something must have caused it to happen.
How Can You Get Carbon Monoxide from Sitting in Your Car Outside?
Here are ways you can get carbon monoxide poisoning from sitting in your car outside:
1. The Car’s Engine is Running
If you sit in your car outside while the engine is running, you stand a chance of getting carbon monoxide poisoning especially if there’s something wrong with your car that is affecting the emission system.
Spectrum News reported that three U.S. marines suffered and died from a carbon monoxide poisoning in a parked car at a North Carolina gas station. According to an autopsy conducted on their bodies, it was obvious that three of them died of carbon monoxide.
So this is how silently carbon monoxide poisoning kills. You will be dying without knowing. It’s a silent killer.
However, you can’t get poisoned by sitting in your car outside if the car is not running. It’s not possible except the smoke is coming from other cars parking close to yours. Their engine has to be running for such to happen.
2. The Car is Discharging too Much Smoke
You can get carbon monoxide poisoning from sitting inside your car while the engine is running if the car is discharging too much smoke.
A car can discharge too much smoke if something is mechanically wrong with it. I’ve heard my car discharge excessive smoke while running when one of the fuel injectors got spoilt and was leaking fuel into the oil. Because of that, the car started to emit too much smoke.
The excessive smoke it was emitting is enough to poison someone whether the car is locked or not. So if the car is emitting too much smoke while you’re sited inside, you can be poisoned.
3. Exhaust Leaks
You stand a chance of getting carbon monoxide poisoning from your car if the exhaust is leaking. It can cause smoke to enter where it’s not supposed to such as cabin and can poison you without knowing.
Moreover, exhaust leaks are not something that can be hidden It’s something you can notice right away. When your exhaust starts to leak, you will be notified by the loud noise the car makes. The sound of the car will change. It won’t be as it used to be.
4. Limited Ventilation
It’s true that the car is outside, but if there’s limited ventilation while the engine is running, you stand a chance of getting poisoned by carbon monoxide. The oxygen inside the car should be more than the carbon monoxide coming inside the car otherwise, you will be poisoned.
For example, if you are parked in a parking lot with several cars parking too closely and tightly with each other in a limited space, your exhaust smoke may not have enough space to circulate and hence might end up getting you poisoned.
5. A Void Under the Car
If something is wrong with the car chassis or there is a void under the car, it can cause exhaust smoke to make its way into the cabin. This is very dangerous as it can get you poisoned if there’s not enough ventilation in the car.
If for example, you’re sitter inside the car while it’s running with a void under the car and the windows wind up, the exhaust smoke will get into the car through the void and because there’s not enough ventilation, you will be poisoned.
6. Wrong Installation of AC Filter
If the filter inside your cabin that filters the air you breathe when the car AC is turned on is not installed properly, it will not be able to filter the air that comes inside the car while the AC is on causing you to perceive exhaust smoke from other cars around.
I’ve experienced this kind of problem before. I started noticing that anytime a trailer or vehicle that emits too much smoke passes my car while the AC is on, I tend to perceive the smoke as if I’m outside.
It started after I replaced my cabin air filter. After checking the car, I noticed that the filter was not properly installed hence why I’m perceiving the smoke. This is very dangerous because carbon monoxide kills silently. You won’t know that you’re dying until you’re lifeless.
How Long Does it Take to Get Carbon Monoxide Poisoning from Car Exhaust?
It can take between 5 to 7 minutes to get carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhaust depending on how severe the smoke is.
How to Avoid Carbon Monoxide From Cars
- Enough Ventilation: You can avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by sitting inside the car where there’s enough ventilation to prevent the smoke from making its way into the cabin.
- The Windows should be Down: The windows should be down when you presume to smoke inside the car to allow enough ventilation in the car.
Carbon monoxide poisoning is a silent killer, it kills without warning. You may seem fine but deep inside you, you’re dying. It is a poison that should be avoided at all costs to avoid dying while sitting inside the car.
Final Thoughts
It’s possible to get carbon monoxide poisoning from sitting in a running car outside if the car is emitting too much smoke coupled with an exhaust leak. This can cause smoke to make its way inside the car and poison the driver if there’s not enough ventilation. You can easily avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by ensuring you have enough ventilation inside the car.
