I was all pink

[drdeng]

Please tell me what's the exact meaning of "I was all pink" as is found in the passage quoted from Goldsmith's book:

"Seward Jr.: I was nearly dead when they got to me. Some fellow walking along found me. I had the trunk open because I had the hose from the exhaust in through the trunk and into the back seat. I was parked on a road in the woods. The gun that had been given to me was in the front seat, so he didn't dare do anything about me. He called the police and by the time the police got there I was unconscious. They pulled me out of the car. I sort of remember bumping my head, but that was about all. I was all pink. My lips were numb. The next thing I knew, I was in an oxygen tent in the hospital. "

[A_Bloodaxe]

He literally turned pink in colour.

I haven't read the book, but it's clear from the context that the subject had been inhaling automotive fumes. This causes carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning.

The CO binds to the haemoglobin in the blood preventing oxygen being released from the blood to the tissues of the body. The tissues and organs are starved of oxygen, while the oxygen in the blood goes up and up. The haemoglobin in the blood turns pink when bound with oxygen and CO, and in some patients having all that pink blood can lead to them having a flushed or blushing look to their skin. This has been a favourite clue in murder mysteries and such like for a long time.

The pink colour is actually visible in only a tiny number of CO victims and so the fact that someone hasn't turned pink doesn't mean they're poison free.