The Respiratory System

The respiratory system is essential to our living: it gives us oxygen. You inhale air and exhale waste or carbon dioxide. The whole body uses the oxygen taken into the lungs.

There are many steps preformed during respiration. First, the air is inhaled through the mouth and the nose. The air is warmed and moistened in the nose and the nose hairs filter out most of the dust in the inhaled air.

The filtered air then goes into the throat. At its end there are two openings which are one after the other. The front one, which is called the trachea or windpipe, goes into the lungs. The second opening, which is called the esophagus or food pipe, goes into the stomach. The epiglottis is the flap that keeps food from going into the lungs. When air leaves the windpipe, it divides into two bronchial tubes. These tubes each lead to one of the two lungs. The bronchial tubes then branch out like limbs on a tree and end in a group of air cells called alveoli.

Breathing is usually automatic and requires very little muscle effort. The respiratory system gives our body oxygen and pushes out carbon dioxide (waste). It is essential to our life.

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