Carbon monoxide (CO) vs Carbon dioxide (CO2)

Some confuse the Carbon monoxide (CO), which is harmful to humans gas, luckily it is unstable and thus "short lived, having a role in the formation of ground-level ozone,"*1 with the Carbon dioxide (CO2) which is vital to plant life and all carbon based life on earth, including the human kingdom. "Carbon dioxide exists in the Earth's atmosphere as a trace gas at a concentration of about 0.04 percent (400 ppm) by volume."*2

"Carbon monoxide is produced from the partial oxidation of carbon-containing compounds; it forms when there is not enough oxygen to produce carbon dioxide (CO2), such as when operating a stove or an internal combustion engine in an enclosed space. In the presence of oxygen, including atmospheric concentrations, carbon monoxide burns with a blue flame, producing carbon dioxide.[3] Coal gas, which was widely used before the 1960s for domestic lighting, cooking, and heating, had carbon monoxide as a significant fuel constituent."*1

*1 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide
*2 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide