If you’ve ever experienced a sudden cold, heard unexplained noises, or seen ghostly figures in your property, you could have been exposed to carbon monoxide (CO), a deadly gas that could cause symptoms that resemble paranormal phenomena.
CO is a colorless and odorless gas produced by the unfinished combustion of fuels comparable to wood, coal, gasoline, propane and natural gas. It can leak from faulty appliances, fireplaces, furnaces, generators or cars and accumulate in poorly ventilated rooms.
CO poisoning happens when CO binds to hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. CO has a much greater affinity for hemoglobin than oxygen, so it displaces oxygen and prevents it from reaching the tissues and cells that need it. This results in hypoxia, or low oxygen levels, which may affect the guts and central nervous system (CNS).
Symptoms of CO poisoning vary depending on the extent and duration of exposure. Mild to moderate exposure may cause headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain and confusion. Severe exposure may cause irregular heartbeat, seizures, coma and death.
Some symptoms of CO poisoning can also mimic those of a haunting. For example:
– Confusion and hallucinations could cause people to see or hear things that will not be there. “People have reported hearing voices or seeing faces on the TV screen when it is turned off,” says Dr. Michael Menna, an emergency medicine physician and medical reviewer at Verywell Health.
– Dizziness and nausea may make you are feeling anxious or sick. “People have reported feeling someone touching them or smelling rotten eggs at night,” says Dr. Menna.
– Headache and chest pain may cause a sense of suffocation or choking. “People have reported feeling tightness in the chest or difficulty breathing,” Dr. Menna says.
– Hypoxia can impair judgment and memory, causing people to forget what happened or distort their perception of reality. “People have reported memory loss or depression,” Dr. Menna says.
There have been several cases where CO poisoning has been mistaken for a haunting. One of essentially the most famous examples is the 1921 case of the H family. The family moved to a brand new house and shortly began to experience strange phenomena.
They heard footsteps, ringing bells, moving furniture and whispering voices. They felt drafts and electric shocks. They saw shadows and apparitions. They also suffered from headaches, fatigue, insomnia and depression.
The family sought advice from a health care provider, a priest and a fortune teller, but none of them were capable of explain or stop the haunting. Eventually they contacted William F. Barrett, a physicist and paranormal investigator.
Barrett suspected CO might be the cause and checked the air in the home. He found high levels of CO leaking from the faulty furnace. He ordered the family to repair the stove and ventilate the home. Then the haunting stopped.
Barrett wrote about his discoveries in an article titled “A Record of Observations of Some Phenomena of Trance” published in 1926. He concluded that “the symptoms observed were due to chronic carbon monoxide poisoning” and that “the hallucinations were probably caused by a suggestive effect on minds more than usually susceptible to disease.”
Another example is the case of Pauline C., a girl who lived alone in an apartment in New York in 2005. She began to experience strange phenomena comparable to hearing voices, seeing faces on the TV screen when it was turned off, feeling someone touching her at night, and smelling rotten eggs. She also suffered from headaches, drowsiness, nausea and memory loss.
She thought she was going crazy or haunted by demons. She sought help from a psychiatrist and a priest, but they were unable to assist her. She also called 911 several times but was dismissed as a prankster or drug addict.
One day she fell to the ground and the owner of the apartment found her unconscious. She was taken to hospital, where she was diagnosed with severe CO poisoning. The source of CO was a leaky gas pipe in her apartment constructing. After oxygen therapy, she recovered and moved out of the apartment.
She later wrote about her experiences in an article titled “My Apartment Made Me Feel Nauseous,” published in 2007. She said that “I had been living with carbon monoxide poisoning for months” and that “I was hallucinating, hearing voices, seeing things that weren't there.”
These cases show how CO poisoning could cause hauntings that may easily be confused with paranormal phenomena. However, there are methods to stop and detect CO poisoning before it becomes fatal.
The best solution to prevent CO poisoning is to put in CO detectors in your property and check them repeatedly. CO detectors are devices that measure the extent of CO within the air and trigger an alarm when it reaches a dangerous level.
Heating appliances and systems also needs to be checked repeatedly for signs of injury or malfunction that would cause CO leaks. You also needs to avoid using generators or charcoal grills indoors or near windows or doors.
If you think CO poisoning in yourself or others, it is best to immediately leave the contaminated area and call 911 or seek medical attention. You also needs to report any suspected CO leaks to the owner or utility company.
CO poisoning is a serious and potentially fatal condition that could cause tormenting experiences that will not be paranormal but physiological in nature. By knowing the symptoms and causes of CO poisoning and taking preventive measures to stop it, you possibly can protect yourself and your family members from this silent killer.
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