 Treatment of poisoning largely consists of administering 100 % oxygen or providing hyperbaric oxygen therapy , although the optimum treatment remains controversial . Oxygen works as an antidote as it increases the removal of carbon monoxide from hemoglobin , in turn providing the body with normal levels of oxygen . The prevention of poisoning is a significant public health issue . Domestic carbon monoxide poisoning can be prevented by early detection with the use of household carbon monoxide detectors . Carbon monoxide poisoning is the most common type of fatal poisoning in many countries . Historically , it was also commonly used as a method to commit suicide , usually by deliberately inhaling the exhaust fumes of a running car engine . Modern automobiles , even with electronically controlled combustion and catalytic converters , can still produce levels of carbon monoxide which will kill if enclosed within a garage or if the tailpipe is obstructed ( for example , by snow ) and exhaust gas cannot escape normally . Carbon monoxide poisoning has also been speculated as a possible cause of apparent haunted houses ; symptoms such as delirium and hallucinations may have led people suffering poisoning to think they have seen ghosts or to believe their house is haunted . 
