Researchers from Australian institutions have published findings indicating that increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations may be producing measurable changes in human blood chemistry. The study, published in Air Quality, Atmosphere and Health, analyzed over 20 years of health data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, examining blood test results from approximately 7,000 individuals at two-year intervals between 1999 and 2020.
The analysis revealed several notable shifts in blood composition. Average serum bicarbonate levels rose by approximately 7 percent since 1999, while average concentrations of calcium and phosphorus declined during the same period. These biological trends occurred simultaneously with atmospheric CO2 levels rising from approximately 369 parts per million around 2000 to more than 420 ppm recently. Bicarbonate plays a critical role in regulating the body’s acid-base balance; as atmospheric CO2 increases, the body can accumulate additional bicarbonate to maintain stable blood pH.
Researchers noted that projections suggest if current trends persist, average bicarbonate levels could approach the upper boundary of the accepted healthy range within 50 years, while calcium and phosphorus could reach the lower end of their healthy ranges later this century. The findings carry particular implications for younger individuals, as children and adolescents whose bodies are still developing are anticipated to experience the greatest cumulative exposure to elevated atmospheric CO2 throughout their lifetimes.
While researchers emphasized that their study does not establish direct causation, they highlighted that the consistency of the observed changes across a large population merits serious attention. They suggested that rising CO2 may represent a distinct dimension of climate-related risk, separate from established threats such as extreme weather events and sea-level rise. The authors recommended ongoing monitoring of atmospheric composition alongside biological markers in populations to assess how environmental changes affect human health across decades.
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