Respiratory system

TheRESPIRATORY

SYSTEM

• Breathing is the movement of the chest that brings air into the lungs and removes waste gases.–Air entering the lungs contains oxygen–Blood carries oxygen to the cells; oxygen

delivered to the cells is used to release energy

– This process is called cellular respiration

• Carbon dioxide and water molecules are waste products of cellular respiration

• Exhaling eliminates carbon dioxide and water molecules

• The respiratory system is made up of structures that move oxygen into the body and move waste out

• Air enters your body through either your nostrils or your mouth

• Air passes through the nasal cavity and is filtered with the help of cilia, tiny hairlike structures

• The pharynx is a passageway that ends with a flap of tissue called the epiglottis

• The epiglottis prevents food or liquid from entering the airway

• The larynx is the airway attached to the vocal chords

• From the larynx, air moves to a tube called the trachea

• The trachea connects the larynx to the bronchi

• The bronchi are two short tubes that carry air directly into the lungs

• Once in the lungs, bronchi branch into smaller tubes called bronchioles

• Alveoli are clusters of tiny sacs at the ends of the bronchioles

• The lungs are masses of alveoli which work with the heart to remove carbon dioxide from the blood and provide it with oxygen

• The diaphragm is a muscle beneath the lungs that contracts and releases to move gases in and out of the lungs

• Smoking is the most destructive habit a person can have. Many diseases and disorders of the respiratory system, as well as other body systems, are caused or aggravated by smoking.

• The chemicals in cigarettes are poisonous and destroy healthy cells

• Bronchitis occurs when bronchial tubes become irritated and swell, producing too much mucus.

• When it does not clear up in a matter of weeks, it is called chronic bronchitis

• Emphysema – alveoli in the lungs become enlarged; as a result, the alveoli cannot push air out of the lungs, so less oxygen can move into the bloodstream

• Asthma – bronchial tubes contract too quickly. Asthma is often caused by an allergic reaction.

• Symptoms of asthma include shortness ofbreath, wheezing and coughing

• Lung cancer – when carcinogens in cigarette smoke (and other sources) enter the lungs, they can cause uncontrolled cell growth.

• This is lung cancer, which can spread to other organs of the body

• Lung cancer is the third leading cause of death in the United States

Carcinogens are poisons!