Smokerlyzer

Want to quit or stop smoking ? Check CO in your Lungs with Smokerlyzer !!!

Click here for the test

What is a Smokerlyzer?

PICO Smokerlyzer measure the amount of CO in exhaled breath. The more you smoke, the higher your CO reading will be.

The reading is given in ppm, which is the number of CO molecules in a million parts of air. The ppm reading can also tell you how much CO is in the blood (the COHb reading). %COHb is the percentage of red blood cells carrying CO instead of oxygen.

The amount of CO in an unborn baby’s blood is referred to as %FCOHb (percentage of foetal COHb). 

What is carbon monoxide (CO)?
Carbon monoxide (CO), known as the silent killer, is a colourless, odourless, highly poisonous gas that is produced when fuels are burned incompletely. It is produced in car exhaust fumes, faulty gas boilers and tobacco smoke.
Oxygen is carried around the body by red blood cells and when you inhale smoke froma cigarette, the CO is absorbed into your blood through the lungs because CO binds with haemoglobin 200 times more readily than oxygen.
The CO binds with haemoglobin in the red blood cells to form carboxyhaemoglobin (COHb), preventing red blood cells from carrying oxygen.
A very heavy smoker may have 15% of their blood cells taken up by CO, depriving thebody of oxygen.

What CO does to your body?
Heart:
To compensate for the shortage of oxygen, the heart has to work harder (beat faster) to get enough oxygen to all parts of the body. The heart itself receives less oxygen, increasing the risk of heart damage.
Circulation:
COHb causes the blood to thicken and arteries become coated with a thick fatty substance. This causes circulation problems and high blood pressure, with increasedrisk of a heart attack and stroke. Hands and feet can also become colder as less blood circulates to the extremities.
Breathing:
The reduced supply of oxygen means you can easily become out of breath when exercising, because there is little oxygen available for the increased demand. A lack of oxygen can also cause tiredness and a lack of concentration.
Pregnancy:
Oxygen is required by a foetus for healthy growth, but the supply of vital oxygen is reduced when the mother smokes. This increases the risk of low birthweight, birth defects and even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. A recent clinical study established a direct link between an expectant mother’s breath CO level and the amount of COHb in their unborn baby’s blood.

Why monitor CO?
CO testing is a quick, non-invasive and cost-effective means of validating the smoking status of a significant number of clients8.
Smoking is the single greatest avoidable risk factor for cancer. Tobacco smoking causes an estimated 27% of all cancer deaths in the UK9 and is responsible for around 80% of deaths from lung cancer, around 80% of deaths from bronchitis and emphysema, and about 14% of deaths from heart disease.
Carbon monoxide monitors offer tobacco treatment specialists an independent clinical tool which provides valuable evidence in identifying, educating, assessing and treating tobacco-dependent patients.
Monitoring patients’ CO levels helps to work out their level of nicotine dependence; the more they smoke, the higher their reading will be, indicating a higher dependence on nicotine.