Lung how does it work

From there, it travels down two bronchial tubes that enter the lungs. A thin flap of tissue, the epiglottis, blocks your windpipe when you swallow to prevent food and liquid from entering. The lungs are located on either side of the breastbone in the chest cavity and are divided into five main sections lobes.

The lungs are responsible for removing carbon dioxide from the blood and adding oxygen to it. The heart and lungs work together to do this.

The lungs contain thousands of thin tubes that end in bunches of tiny air sacs alveoli. Each one of these sacs is covered in blood vessels that connect to a system of veins and arteries that move blood through the body.

When you take a breath, the pulmonary lung artery and its branches bring blood containing lots of carbon dioxide and no oxygen into these vessels.

Carbon dioxide leaves the blood and enters the air, and oxygen leaves the air and enters the blood. Once the blood has plenty of oxygen and no carbon dioxide, it is returned to the heart and pumped to the rest of the body.

These include: Bringing air to the proper body temperature and moisturizing it to the right humidity level. Protecting your body from harmful substances. This is done by coughing, sneezing, filtering or swallowing them. Supporting your sense of smell. Sinuses help regulate the temperature and humidity of inhaled air. The NOSE is the preferred entrance for outside air into the respiratory system.

The hairs lining the nose's wall are part of the air-cleaning system. Air also enters through the MOUTH , especially for those who have a mouth-breathing habit, whose nasal passages may be temporarily blocked by a cold, or during heavy exercise. These, in turn, split further into bronchioles. Each lobe is like a balloon filled with sponge-like tissue.

Air moves in and out through one opening—a branch of the bronchial tube. The PLEURA are the two membranes, actually, one continuous one folded on itself, that surround each lobe of the lungs and separate your lungs from your chest wall.

This motion carries MUCUS sticky phlegm or liquid upward and out into your throat, where it is either coughed up or swallowed. Mucus catches and holds much of the dust, germs, and other unwanted matter that has invaded your lungs.

You get rid of this matter when you cough, sneeze, clear your throat or swallow. While in the capillaries, blood gives off carbon dioxide through the capillary wall into the alveoli and takes up oxygen from air in the alveoli. Your smallest airways end in the alveoli, small, thin air sacs that are arranged in clusters like bunches of balloons. When you breathe in by enlarging the chest cage, the "balloons" expand as air rushes in to fill the vacuum.

When you breathe out, the "balloons" relax and air moves out of the lungs. Tiny blood vessels surround each of the million alveoli in the lungs. Oxygen moves across the walls of the air sacs, is picked up by the blood and carried to the rest of the body.

Carbon dioxide or waste gas passes into the air sacs from the blood and is breathed out. Canadian Lung Association.