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Why would carbon dioxide be a problem? I’ve always thought that oxygen levels are the most important factor. Even if carbon dioxide doubled, it would not make a significant difference. In indoor environments, we use carbon dioxide as a signal that oxygen levels are low.

Am I missing something?

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You are. The brain actually responds to CO2 concentration, not oxygen concentration. Your metabolism turns O2 and various hydrocarbons into CO2 and water, but many of the feedback loops in this process that mediate how your body metabolizes are based on the CO2 concentration; so even if O2 is unchanged, if you body detects more CO2, it will start metabolizing less.

I also wonder that if we have bigger body volumes combined with lower lung and heart capacity due to inactivity, would that add to the negative cognitive affect of higher CO2?

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