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I have a question about O2 physiology and enriched air that I haven't
been able to find an answer for.  Maybe one of you knows or could point
me in the right direction.

As I understand it, the breathing reflex is controlled by blood CO2 levels.
When a person gets into a 'cycle' of hyperventilation, they correct it
by breathing into a paper bag, presumably to increase CO2 in the blood
by inspiring more CO2.  If they don't do this, uncontrolled breathing
continues and eventually the person passes out.

I'm not saying that I understand the above, it's just what I think I've
been told ;).

My question is, is the risk of hyperventilation increased by breathing
higher O2 fractions?  Should a diver breathing EANx be more concerned
about slow deep breathing than an air diver?  This topic wasn't covered
in my training, and I don't see any references to it in literature, but
it occured to me that high fractions of inspired O2 might lead to lowered
blood CO2, thereby increasing the risk of hyperventilation.

Thanks for any help,
Scott.

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