Carbon monoxide connects to red blood cells, robbing your body of the oxygen it has to have to survive. It mixes with these cells nearly 200 times more easily than oxygen, resulting in a condition known as carboxyhemoglobin saturation.
Carbon monoxide, in place of oxygen, then gets taken to the critical organs through the bloodstream. Simply put, carbon monoxide deprives your body of oxygen. Organs require oxygen; when they lack it, they begin to suffocate.
Your body takes a long time to eliminate carbon monoxide; however, it can be drawn in much faster.