Carbon monoxide connects to red blood cells, robbing your body of the oxygen it has to have to live. It blends with these cells more than 200 times more easily than oxygen, leading to a condition known as carboxyhemoglobin saturation.
Carbon monoxide, on lieu of oxygen, then gets taken to the important organs via the bloodstream. To put it simply, carbon monoxide robs your body of oxygen. Organs require oxygen; without it, they begin to suffocate.
Your body needs a long time to get rid of carbon monoxide; however, it can be drawn in much more rapidly.