How do the lungs get rid of the particles in the air that are trapped in the lungs?
In: Biology
1) particulate is embedded in mucus that is naturally produced to line our airways
2) small “hairs” (cilia) gradually push particulate-laden mucus up towards the trachea and throat
3) we either swallow or expel the particulate-laden mucus. coughing speeds this process up.
Particles become trapped in the mucous on the walls of the respiratory passages. Over time, cilia- the small hairs that line these passages- push all that mucous back up the airway until it’s either coughed out or swallowed.
You have mucus that traps the particles and hairlike projections called cilia that beat in a way to force the particles upwards so that they can be cleared or swallowed.
Note the not everything can be cleared and some things will stay forever and possibly form scar tissue.
The lungs are filled with branching tubes (bronchi and bronchioles), which lead to tiny sacs called alveoli.
The tubes are coated with sticky mucus, and little waving hairs (cilia) that push the mucus up into your throat until you swallow it. Dust gets stuck in the mucus, and the hairs lift it up until you swallow it.
But the little sacks (the alveoli) don’t have any little hairs, so if dust gets deep into the lungs, all the way to the alveoli, it’s hard to get it out. Usually, only very fine particles make it that far into the lungs.
But you do have little cells that crawl around inside the alveoli, which can swallow up tiny particles. like little lung roombas. they’re called macrophages, and they’re part of your immune system.
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