• Your respiratory system is made up of the organs in your body that
help you to breathe. Respiration = Breathing. The goal of breathing
is to deliver oxygen to the body and to take away carbon dioxide.
• The primary organs of the respiratory system are lungs, which carry
out this exchange of gases as we breathe.
• Red blood cells also play an important role. They are responsible for
picking up the oxygen in the lungs, carrying the oxygen to all the
body cells that need it, and then transporting the carbon dioxide
back to the lungs where we then breathe it out when we exhale.
• The Respiratory System is categorized into two components:
•The Upper Respiratory Tract
•The Lower Respiratory Tract
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Passageway for
respiration
Receptors for smell
Filters incoming air to
filter larger foreign
material.
Moistens and warms
incoming air.
Resonating chambers for
voice.
• As air in inhaled through the nasal cavity, or mouth, it is warmed
and moistened.
• The air is then filtered by tiny hairs, called cilia, and sticky
mucus in your nose and throat. The cilia and mucus trap dirt
and other particles. Then, they are pushed back out through the
nostrils through sneezing, or they are swallowed and move into
the digestive system.
• The air continues down into the pharynx (throat) and past the
epiglottis (the flap that prohibits food from entering the
trachea).
Larynx: maintains an
open airway, routes food
and air appropriately,
assists in sound
production
 Trachea: transports air
to and from lungs
 Bronchi: branch into
lungs
 Lungs: transport air to
alveoli for gas exchange
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• Once the air passes through the epiglottis, it goes through the
larynx (voice box). The larynx contains your vocal cords which
vibrate as air passes through them, which produces the sounds of
your voice.
• The air then into the air passage called the trachea (also known as
the windpipe). You can feel your trachea by gently rubbing your
hand up and down your neck. The bumps you feel are the Cshaped bands of cartilage that maintain the tubular shape.
• The base of the trachea branches into two tubes called the
bronchi (sing. bronchus). Air goes through the bronchi and into the
lungs. Air continues down the bronchi, which branch into smaller
tubes called bronchioles, and finally into thin-walled sacs called
alveoli (sing. alveolus. There are millions of alveoli at the ends of
the bronchioles and this is where gas exchange takes place.
• The Respiratory System and The Circulatory System work
together to exchange the oxygen and carbon dioxide.
• Each alveolus is surrounded by capillaries. The capillaries bring
deoxygenated blood to the alveoli and the carbon dioxide
diffuses into the alveolus.
• At the same time, oxygen is diffusing the other way into the
capillaries and binds with the red blood cells.
• The oxygen then returns to the heart to be pumped to the rest
of the body.
The Diaphragm is a sheet of muscle in the lower chest that moves
downward as you breathe in (inhale) and then returns to position
after you breathe out (exhale).
Inhalation
(Inspiration)
-chest cavity expands
-air rushes into lungs
-diaphragm moves downward
Exhalation
(Expiration)
-chest cavity contracts
-diaphragm moves upward
-air rushes out of lungs
Tonsillitis
Laryngitis
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
-An infection of the tonsils, which are located in the pharynx.
-A viral infection, rather than a bacterial infection, is the more
common cause of tonsillitis. The tonsils can be removed surgically if
the infections are frequent and breathing is impaired.
-An inflammation of the larynx.
-The most common cause of laryngitis is a viral infection; allergies
and overstraining of the voice.
-The vocal cords are not able to vibrate as they normally do. This
reduces the ability to speak in a normal voice or even to speak at
all.
-A disorder that causes the bronchi to become inflamed and filled
with mucus, which is expelled by coughing.
-A disease that occurs when the alveoli in the lungs become
inflamed and fill with liquids.
-This interferes with gas exchange, and the body becomes starved
for oxygen.
Emphysema
-An obstructive respiratory disorder in which the walls of the alveoli break
down and lose their elasticity.
-This reduces the surface area for gas exchange and causes oxygen
shortages in the tissues.
-If you hold your breath, you will soon feel a burning sensation in your
lungs. That is what a person who suffers from emphysema feels all of the
time.
-Often a result of smoking tobacco products.
Cystic Fibrosis
-A serious genetic condition that affects the lungs.
-Caused by an abnormal gene that disrupts the function of the cells lining
the passageways of the lungs.
Asthma
-A chronic obstructive lung disease that affects the bronchi and bronchioles
-Makes breathing difficult or impossible because of reduced air flow.
-An inhaler is often used by people with asthma to deliver medicine to the
lungs.
Lung Cancer
-The uncontrolled and invasive growth of abnormal cells in the lungs.
-Often a result of smoking tobacco products.
(A) These normal lungs have healthy red tissue. (The heart is visible near the
lower center.) (B) These diseased lungs have black tissue caused by heavy
smoking. The white areas are tumors, or carcinomas.
• Exercise regularly in clean conditions away from exhaust and
pollution.
• Eat a diet rich in nutrients (such as vitamin A, C, & E, zinc,
potassium, magnesium and zinc).
• Drink plenty of water to help thin mucus secretions that
accumulate in your lungs.
• Add household plants to your rooms. They will improve the air
quality in your home by removing harmful chemical vapors.
• Wash your hands, keep vaccinations up to date and practice
good oral hygiene.
• Avoid using tobacco products or other non-prescription drugs.
• Your lungs contain almost 2400 kilometers of airways and over
300 million alveoli.
• Every minute you breathe in 6 liters of air.
• Plants are our partners in breathing. We breathe in air, use the
oxygen in it, and release carbon dioxide. Plants take in carbon
dioxide and release oxygen. Thank goodness!
• People tend to get more colds in the winter because we're
indoors more often and in close proximity to other people.
When people sneeze, cough and even breathe -- germs go
flying!
• http://www.brainpop.com/health/bodysystems/respiratorysyst
em/