How fast does oxygen move

Once in the lungs, oxygen is moved into the bloodstream and carried through your body. At each cell in your body, oxygen is exchanged for a waste gas called carbon dioxide. Your bloodstream then carries this waste gas back to the lungs where it is removed from the bloodstream and then exhaled. Your lungs and respiratory system automatically perform this vital process, called gas exchange.

In addition to gas exchange, your respiratory system performs other roles important to breathing. These include:. Lung capacity declines as you age. Keep your lungs healthy by taking good care of yourself every day. Eat a balanced diet, exercise and reduce stress to breathe easier. Get more tips for healthy lungs ». This November your donation goes even further to improve lung health and defeat lung cancer. Double Your Gift. Oxygen molecules attach to red blood cells, which travel back to the heart.

At the same time, the carbon dioxide molecules in the alveoli are blown out of the body the next time a person exhales. Gas exchange allows the body to replenish the oxygen and eliminate the carbon dioxide.

Doing both is necessary for survival. Updated by: David C. Editorial team. Three processes are essential for the transfer of oxygen from the outside air to the blood flowing through the lungs: ventilation, diffusion, and perfusion. Diffusion is the spontaneous movement of gases, without the use of any energy or effort by the body, between the alveoli and the capillaries in the lungs.

The body's circulation is an essential link between the atmosphere, which contains oxygen, and the cells of the body, which consume oxygen. For example, the delivery of oxygen to the muscle cells throughout the body depends not only on the lungs but also on the ability of the blood to carry oxygen and on the ability of the circulation to transport blood to muscle.

In addition, a small fraction of the blood pumped from the heart Function of the Heart The heart and blood vessels constitute the cardiovascular circulatory system.

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Common Health Topics. Biology of the Lungs and Airways. The trachea is also lined with cilia, which sweep fluids and foreign particles out of the airway so that they stay out of the lungs.

At its bottom end, the trachea divides into left and right air tubes called bronchi pronounced: BRAHN-kye , which connect to the lungs. Within the lungs, the bronchi branch into smaller bronchi and even smaller tubes called bronchioles pronounced: BRAHN-kee-olz. Bronchioles end in tiny air sacs called alveoli, where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide actually takes place. Each person has hundreds of millions of alveoli in their lungs.

This network of alveoli, bronchioles, and bronchi is known as the bronchial tree. The lungs also contain elastic tissues that allow them to inflate and deflate without losing shape. They're covered by a thin lining called the pleura pronounced: PLUR-uh.

The chest cavity, or thorax pronounced: THOR-aks , is the airtight box that houses the bronchial tree, lungs, heart, and other structures. The top and sides of the thorax are formed by the ribs and attached muscles, and the bottom is formed by a large muscle called the diaphragm pronounced: DYE-uh-fram. The chest walls form a protective cage around the lungs and other contents of the chest cavity.