Translations:Adventist Youth Honors Answer Book/Health and Science/Chemistry/47/en

Automobile exhaust before the catalytic converter contains large amounts of CO (Carbon Monoxide). If the exhaust system is damaged before this point, then there is a danger of breathing the suffocating gas. The catalytic converter converts most of the CO to [math]\displaystyle{ CO_2 }[/math] (Carbon Dioxide) There may still be enough CO in automobile exhaust to be fatal, but since most is now [math]\displaystyle{ CO_2 }[/math] which has an odor or at least sensation, there is less chance of accidental asphyxiation.( [math]\displaystyle{ CO_2 }[/math] can be fatal as well, but is quite caustic, creating a burning sensation in the nose and lungs. If you have ever breathed the bubbles from a Soda Pop can, you have smelled [math]\displaystyle{ CO_2 }[/math].)