Gas Exchange in the Human Body

By Max Mar 8C Science Mrs. Hennard

The Start of the Gas Exchange

INHALING

The start of the gas exchange

is inhaling. This is when you

breathe in through your

mouth or nose.

When the air is breathed in

through the mouth it travels

down the trachea to the bronchi.

In the Lungs

After reaching the bronchi, the air is split between the two lungs. Then the air flows in to the lungs and enters the bronchiles, then is split between the alveoli…

What are the Alveoli

The air travels to the bronchioles.

It is then spread to the Alveoli are small sacks in the lungs that have blood cells running through them. Alveoli are named after the Latin word for ‘grapes’

Inside the Alveoli

Inside the Alveoli is where the gas is exchanged. The oxygenated air enters the alveoli from the lungs and the oxygen travels through a one-cell thick wall of the capillaries to the veins and is then taken to the heart, oxygenated.

Inside the Alveoli Cont.

Then the left over carbon dioxide (CO2) is transported out of the alveoli and taken back out of the lungs. Then it is exhaled and more air is inhaled and the hole process starts again

The Air we Breathe

The air we breathe is made up of 4 main gases

Approximately 78% Nitrogen

Approximately 20% Oxygen

Approximately 1% Argon

<1% Carbon Dioxide

<1% A combination of numerous other gases

Bibliography

"Lungs Renovated in Lab." Discovery News. N.p., n.d. Web. 5 Oct. 2012. <http://news.discovery.com/tech/lungs-reseeding-transplant.html>.

"Alveoli." Alveoli. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2012. <http://oac.med.jhmi.edu/res_phys/Encyclopedia/Alveoli/Alveoli.HTML>.

"The Respiratory System." : Gas Exchange. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. <http://christylearningcentre.blogspot.com/2010/11/gas-exchange.html>.

"The Trachea and Bronchi." - Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Oct. 2012. <http://education.yahoo.com/reference/gray/subjects/subject/237>.