Hemoglobin by molecules such as carbon monoxide (for example, from tobacco smoking, exhaust gas, and incomplete combustion in furnaces). CO competes with oxygen at the heme binding site. Hemoglobin's binding affinity for CO is 250 times greater than its affinity for oxygen, meaning that small amounts of CO dramatically reduce hemoglobin's ability to transport oxygen. Since carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas, and poses a potentially fatal threat, carbon monoxide detectors have become commercially available to warn of dangerous levels in residences. When hemoglobin combines with CO, it forms a very bright red compound called carboxyhemoglobin, which may
Hemoglobin variants lengthy list of common hemoglobin variants, there are some variants that are less common. These variants are considered silent, which means that they have no signs or symptoms. They usually affect the functionality and/or the stability of the hemoglobin molecule. With most of these variants are mutations in the alpha globin gene that result in an abnormally long alpha chain and an unstable hemoglobin molecules. Hemoglobin F is the primary hemoglobin produced by the fetus. The hemoglobin transports oxygen efficiently in a low oxygen environment. The hemoglobin production stops at birth and decreases to adult levels by the age of