Although I know the body produces its own CO2 and is exhaled to keep the optimum 40mm pressure in the blood (that is easy to discover) I read this and similar passages which imply (no more or it would be clear) it also enters via breathing, and may be essential as the source:
" A person's breathing rate influences the level of CO2 in their blood. Breathing that is too slow or shallow causes respiratory acidosis, while breathing that is too rapid leads to hyperventilation, which can cause respiratory alkalosis. Although the body requires oxygen for metabolism, low oxygen levels normally do not stimulate breathing. Rather, breathing is stimulated by higher carbon dioxide levels."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_dioxide#Human_physiology
This is ambiguous to me, but appears to be saying the minimum CO2 level is required in air to stimulate the nervous system to breathe. So the basic question is, would we get sufficient CO2 into our bodies if it was absent from the air?