Respiratory



**The Respiratory System ﻿ **

//by Nina, Maya, Riley, and Charlie D.//
=== //** The system by which oxygen is taken into the body and an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place; in mammals including the nasal passages, pharynx, epiglottis, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs, and alveoli. **// ===

===//The Respiratory system is a body system involved in gas exchange (CO2 and O2). The nose, pharynx, epiglottis, larynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs, and diaphragm help perform respiration. First, the air is inhaled through the nasal passages where it is filtered by the cilia, heated by the mucus membranes, and moistened by blood capillaries. It then enters pharynx, or// //the back of the// //throat, which carries food, water and air. The pharynx leads to the epiglottis, a flap that prevents solids and liquids from continuing into the larynx. Flowing through the larynx, air vibrates as it passes over folds of tissue, your voice box, and into where the lowermost ribs meet the center of your chest. The oxygen is then in the trachea, or windpipe. The windpipe divides into two tubes which lead to the two lungs and inside the lungs, the tubes, called bronchi, divide into even smaller tubes. At the end of the tubes, there are over 300 million microscopic air sacs, called alveoli. The air sacs bring the oxygen to the bloodstream in exchange for waste products. All cells in your body require oxygen and, next, our blood circulates air to all parts of the human body, giving cells that oxygen. Oxygen is so important because "Oxygen is your greatest and first source of energy. It is the fuel required for the proper operation of all body systems." ( A quote from Balerie Saxion, Ph.D., N.D. ) It is also important because the oxygen helps protect humans against environmental toxens and destroys parasites, viruses and microbes.//===

//Here are a few fun facts about the Respiratory system://

 * ===**//You breath in 13 pints of air per minute.//**===
 * ===//**Plants are opposite humans in breathing. They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen, while humans inhale oxygen, and exhale carbon dioxide.**//===
 * ===//**Your body contains almost 1500 miles of airways.**//===
 * ===//In adult lungs, the alveoli cover an area half the size of a tennis court.//===



**//Our lungs are a vital part of our Respiratory System.//** ===//They are a network of tubes that bring oxygen into our blood, which then travels around our body in the Circulatory System. The alveoli oxygen is carried down our Pulmonary vein and into our heart where it is circulated around our body. The lungs also clean the blood of CO2 waste after you inhale. The diaphragm works to move our lungs in order to keep us breathing. When the diaphragm allows the lungs to expand, oxygen enters the body and starts down the pharynx. Humans exhale when the diaphragm contracts. This is a connection between the Respiratory system and the Muscular system because the diaphragm is a muscle and without our diaphragm, we cannot function properly.//===