Which gas is a chemical asphyxiant produced by incomplete combustion of organic materials?

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Chemical asphyxiants work by preventing cells from using oxygen, not just by taking up space in the air. Carbon monoxide fits this role because, when organic materials burn incompletely, it is produced and then binds to hemoglobin in place of oxygen. This forms carboxyhemoglobin, dramatically reducing the blood’s ability to deliver oxygen to tissues and hindering cellular respiration. That is why a fire or a faulty exhaust system can intoxicate people even if the air isn’t rich in carbon dioxide or completely devoid of oxygen.

Carbon dioxide, while it can contribute to asphyxiation by diluting ambient oxygen, doesn’t act by blocking cellular oxygen use the way carbon monoxide does. Oxygen and nitrogen aren’t chemical asphyxiants for this mechanism—oxygen is what tissues need, and nitrogen is largely inert in this context.