Rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) have been detected in human blood, and an Australian study warns that a key blood marker could reach healthy limits in the coming decades.The findings are particularly relevant for children and adolescents, whose bodies are still developing and will experience the longest cumulative exposure to rising atmospheric CO2, according to a statement from the Kids Research Institute Australia.
Researchers from the Kids Research Institute Australia, in collaboration with Curtin University and the Australian National University (ANU), analyzed US population data from 1999 to 2020. The results showed steady changes in blood chemistry in 7,000 people over that period, consistent with rising atmospheric CO2 levels.
The study, published in the journal Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, found that serum bicarbonate levels, a blood marker associated with CO2, increased by about 7 percent since 1999, consistent with rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, accompanied by decreases in calcium and phosphorus levels.
The findings suggest that the human body may already be adjusting to atmospheric changes, potentially leading to long-term physiological consequences, said the study's lead author, Associate Professor Alexander Larcombe of The Kids.
"If current trends continue, modeling predicts average bicarbonate levels could approach the upper end of the currently accepted healthy range within 50 years," Larcombe said.
The study calls for monitoring atmospheric composition and population biomarkers alongside traditional climate indicators to assess long-term biological impacts on humans.
