Discussion

Respiratory acidosis (result of impaired repiration or hypoventilation) causes

rebreathing. For this activity, the PCO2 is increasing due to the rebreathing of
exhaled air. Thus, there occurs a rapid increase in the PCO2, which decreases
the blood pH and, thus increases the stimulation of the respiratory centers.
Rebreathing increases the concentration of CO2 in the blood while the
oxygen concentration decreaes. This is because the CO2 cannot diffuse out of
the blood into the lung as easily because of the high concentration in the air
of rebreathing. Because one uses up oxygen in the rebreathed air, there is
also not as much entering the blood
Carbon dioxide contributes to the formation of carbonic acid when it
combines with water through a reversible reaction catalyzed by anhydrase.
The carbonic acid then dissociates into hydrogen ions and bicarbonate ions.
Because hypoventilation results in an increase levels of Carbon dioxide in the
blood, the equilibrium shifts to the right. Proton levels increases, causing the
pH level to decrease