Carbon monoxide has been an environmental problem ever since cavemen started fires in poorly ventilated caves. Those cavemen would learn with anguish of the environmental and health problems that arise with the burning and inhalation of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, colorless, tasteless and odorless gas caused by the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. Carbon monoxide generally has a short life, because when it rises in the atmosphere it oxidizes and becomes carbon dioxide (CO2). CO concentrations in the atmosphere increase during the winter months due to the use of heating systems. Chemically, it is very rare for carbon to decompose into carbon and oxygen due to its very short bond length, only 0.111 nanometers. So the bond is very strong. Carbon monoxide has three resonance structures that include partial triple bond character (CO, C=O, C triple bond, O). For as long as combustion has been part of the functioning of society, carbon monoxide has been present in the atmosphere. However, before the start of the industrial revolution, carbon monoxide emissions were so small that the Earth was able to handle and regulate the molecules. However, as the Industrial Revolution boomed in the twentieth century, carbon monoxide emissions steadily increased to the point where they became a serious threat to the environment and health. Most carbon monoxide comes from the incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons. In complete combustion the only products should be carbon dioxide, water and sometimes unaltered nitrogen. However, when hydrocarbons do not burn completely, carbon monoxide is formed and released into the air. Most carbon monoxide comes from internal combustion and...... paper... the atmosphere, because carbon monoxide reacts with atmospheric constituents that would otherwise destroy those compounds. In addition to affecting the environment due to atmospheric gases, carbon monoxide generally reacts with oxygen in the air to form carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide in the air is primarily responsible for many of the environmental problems on earth. Therefore, as carbon monoxide concentrations increase, carbon dioxide will also increase dramatically. Carbon monoxide is also a contributing factor to smog in urban areas, this smog can lead to respiratory problems. Although much has been done to reduce approximately carbon monoxide in the air; New technologies have yet to be created to eliminate or reduce the amount of carbon monoxide already present in the air. Currently, all that is available are preventative technologies.