EFFECT OF CARBON MONOXIDE ON HUMAN PERFORMANCE

IN ORDER TO EXPLORE THIS QUESTION, "DOES CARBON MONOXIDE AFFECT PERFORMANCE?" A RANGE OF PERFORMANCE MEASURES WERE TAKEN: (1) TIME ESTIMATION OF AN "EMPTY" 10-SECOND INTERVAL, (2) TRACKING, AND (3) ATAXIA. ON AN ORDERED SCALE THESE MEASURES RUN FROM THE HEAVILY COGNITIVE TASK OF ESTIMATING TIME IN WHICH THE SUBJECT SUPPLIES HIS OWN COUNTING STIMULI, TO THE TRACKING TASK WHICH REQUIRES THE COORDINATION OF VISUAL INPUT WITH RAPID MOTOR RESPONSES, TO A PSYCHOMOTOR TASK INVOLVING VESTIBULAR AND GROSS MOTOR CONTROLS FOR DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM. THE RESULTS OF THIS EXPERIMENT INDICATED THAT THREE HOURS OF EXPOSURE TO CARBON MONOXIDE LEVELS UP THROUGH 125 PPM PRODUCED NO DECREMENTAL EFFECT IN FUNCTIONING AND NO CONSISTENTLY RELIABLE PATTERN CHANGES FROM THE CONTROL CONDITIONS. ALSO, THERE IS AN INDICATION THAT CARRYING THE CARBON MONOXIDE LEVELS UP TO 200-250 PPM WILL PRODUCE NO OBSERVABLE EFFECT ON THE PRESENT BATTERY OF PERFORMANCE TASKS. THE RESULTS CONFLICT WITH SEVERAL OTHER STUDIES WHICH HAVE FOUND PERFORMANCE DECREMENTS UNDER LOW LEVELS OF CARBON MONOXIDE. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • 24 Pp, Figs, TABS, REFS
• Corporate Authors:

  Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory

  Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
  Dayton, OH  United States  45433
• Authors:
  • Mikulka, P J
  • Odonnell, R D
  • Heinig, P E
  • Theodore, J
• Publication Date: 1969-12

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Carbon monoxide; Estimates; Human beings; Performance; Time; Tracking systems
• Uncontrolled Terms: Tracking
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223459
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jun 29 2003 12:00AM