Answer to Question #302841 in Human Anatomy and Physiology for Emma

Question

What features of the respiratory system help protect it from the external environment? (500 words)

Answer 1

The respiratory system has some features that act as protective mechanisms in order to prevent it from damage. The first place where the air enters the body is the nasal cavity that has hairs and mucus. The mucus and the hairs play the role of trapping the small particles that are found in the air that might find their way into the lungs. Viruses and bacteria are also other crucial elements that are also prevented from passing into the lungs . At times the dangerous elements found in the air som,e persist to make their way through the body by either use of the mouth or the nose. Such foreign substances like dust, dirt and those other infectious microorganisms like bacteria and viruses are normally trapped by the bronchi and the bronchioles that normally contain several numerous protective devices. For instance, they have mucus that traps the foreign substances that may have made their way into the lungs. The bronchi and the bronchioles also have small fingerlike projections called the cilia whose main role alongside the mucus is to make sure that they move the particles and the mucus out of the bronchi and the bronchioles up into the throat so that they can be swallowed and be eliminated from the body through the esophagus.