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That's how an O2 sensor works. It works off of the diffusion of oxygen from one side of the sensor to the other. If there is a condition where extra oxygen is demanded and there is none present in the exhaust stream (such as for a rich mixture), oxygen flows from the air outside of the sensor into the exhaust stream. If there's an excess of oxygen in the exhaust stream, that flow slows down, or stops. Higher oxygen diffusion rates cause higher voltages to be generated by the O2 sensor, up to a point.
We're talking about minuscule amounts of oxygen, though.
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