Unit V

Respiration and Air

Pollution
• The mechanism of breathing
• The importance of respiration to organisms
• Aerobic and anaerobic respiration
• Air pollution
Devotion
• 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every
plant yielding seed that is on the face of the earth,
and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have
them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth
and to every bird of the heavens and to everything
that creeps on the earth, everything that has the
breath of life, I have given every green plant for
food.
• Gen: 1 29 & 30
 What is Respiration?

• Respiration: is a process by which living things obtain energy from the

food they eat.
• It involves the chemical breakdown of food molecules in the cells of
organisms.
• The energy released from this process is used in the body for all the
reactions needed to live and grow.
• There are two main types of respiration. Aerobic and anaerobic
respiration
 Aerobic Respiration
• Aerobic respiration breaks down the food molecule (usually glucose) in
the presence of oxygen, completely releasing much of the energy stored
in it.
• Carbon dioxide and water vapour are formed as waste products during
the reaction.
• Glucose + oxygen  carbon dioxide + water + energy

• The balanced chemical equation for respiration would be:

• C6H12O6 + 6O2  6CO2 + 6H2O + 2880KJ
 Anaerobic Respiration
• Many organisms use anaerobic respiration, when there is not enough
oxygen available.
• There are two types of anaerobic respiration.

• i Anaerobic respiration in yeast and

• ii Anaerobic respiration in muscles of animals

 Anaerobic Respiration in Yeast

• In the absence of oxygen, yeast and other microorganisms break down

glucose to release energy.
• This forms ethanol (alcohol) and carbon dioxide as by-products.
• The reaction is called alcoholic fermentation
• Glucose → Ethanol + Carbon dioxide + Energy (+210 KJ)

• This does not produce as much energy as aerobic respiration because

the ethanol molecules contain a lot of energy.
 Anaerobic Respiration in Muscles of
Animals
• Anaerobic respiration of a different kind occurs in some cells of
humans and other animals, and in bacteria.
• When we do vigorous exercise continuously, we use up all the oxygen
that was in the muscle cells.
• Although we breathe faster and our heart pumps harder, we can still be
unable to get enough oxygen to the muscle cells so that they can
continue with aerobic respiration.
• In these cases, anaerobic respiration takes place in the muscle cells
instead.
 Continued

• Glucose is broken down to a substance called lactate (lactic acid) with

no other waste products.
• The lactate molecule still contains a lot of energy, so this form of
anaerobic respiration also releases only a small amount of energy,
relative to aerobic respiration.
• The equation for the anaerobic respiration in the muscles of animals is:
• Glucose → Energy + Lactic acid (+150 KJ)
 Continued

• Both aerobic and anaerobic respiration takes place in the cells, however
their reaction sites are not the same.

• Aerobic respiration takes place inside the mitochondria while anaerobic

respiration occurs in the cytoplasm.
Comparison of aerobic and anaerobic
respiration

Aerobic respiration Anaerobic respiration

Complete breakdown of glucose Incomplete breakdown of glucose

Produces large amount of energy Produces small amount of energy compared with
aerobic respiration

Needs oxygen No oxygen required

Products are carbon dioxide and oxygen Products are alcohol and carbon dioxide (in yeast) or
lactate (in muscle cells)

Reaction takes place in mitochondria of cell Reaction takes place in cytoplasm of cell
 Benefits of Anaerobic Reaction

• Anaerobic reaction is important in several food processing industries.

Alcoholic fermentation with yeast is used to make:
• Alcoholic drinks
• Bread, where the carbon dioxide released during fermentation of sugars
in the dough creates bubbles which make the dough ‘rise’

• Anaerobic respiration by bacteria, which forms lactate, is used to make

cheese, yoghurt and sour cream. The lactic acid gives these foods a
characteristic sour taste.
 The Mechanics of Breathing

• Most animals respire aerobically, so they need a continuous supply of

oxygen from the air.
• Single-celled organisms can get the oxygen they need by diffusion.
• Multi-cellular animals get their oxygen supply by breathing. Breathing
is a mechanical process in which air from the outside is taken into the
body where the gases can be exchanged with gaseous waste from the
body.
• Breathing is sometimes referred to as external respiration.
 Continued
• Breathing in humans
involves the nose,
trachea (wind pipe) and
lungs, which are organs
of the respiratory
system.
 Inhalation

• When you inhale, the diaphragm moves downwards, the ribs move up
and out and the volume of the chest cavity increases.

• This pulls on the outside of the lungs, making them expand and
reducing the pressure in the lungs, so air flows in through the mouth
and nose.
Inhalation Continued
 Exhalation

• When you exhale, the ribcage moves in and down and the diaphragm
moves upwards, which reduces the volume in the chest cavity.

• This increases the pressure in the lungs, forcing air out through the nose
and mouth.
Exhalation Continued
 Summary of Breathing Mechanism

Breathing Diaphragm Ribcage Volume in chest Pressure in the ACTION

mechanism movement movement cavity lung

INHALE downwards up and out increase decrease air is forced by

atmospheric
pressure into the
lung

EXHALE upwards down and in decrease increase air is forced by

atmospheric
pressure out of
the lung
 Comparison of inhaled and exhaled air

Gases Composition in inhaled air Composition in exhaled air

oxygen 21% 16%

Carbon dioxide 0.04% 4%

nitrogen 78% 78%

Nobel gases About 1% About 1%

Water vapour Variable < 12 More

temperature Room temperature Warm (body temperature)

The human respiratory system
Structure of the Alveoli
 Gas Exchange
• Alveoli are tiny balloon shaped structures that bunch together like
grapes and are the smallest passageway in the respiratory system.

• The alveoli are only one cell thick, allowing the relatively easy passage
of oxygen and carbon dioxide (CO2) between the alveoli and blood
vessels called capillaries.
• There is a greater concentration of oxygen in the alveoli than in the
blood, therefore the oxygen diffuses from inside the lungs into the
blood.
• The reverse happens with carbon dioxide.
• This process is called gas exchange.
 Characteristics of the Respiratory surfaces

• Large and thin: Respiratory surfaces are large so that there is a large
surface area through which gaseous exchange can occur.
The surfaces are also very thin so gases can diffuse quickly.

• Moist: These surfaces are moist because the gases have to dissolve in
the moisture in order to diffuse across the surface.
 Characteristics of the Respiratory surfaces
Continued

• Supplied with gases: Gases are usually brought to and from the
respiratory surface by some kind of breathing movement.

• Supplied with blood: Most respiratory surfaces in animals are supplied

with blood vessels which bring some gases and take away others.
 Pollution from combustion
• Fossil fuels obtained from crude oil such as gasoline and
diesel, coal and natural gas (mainly methane) provides us with
our energy needs.
• Complete combustion: When fossil fuels are burnt in an
abundance of air or oxygen.
• In addition to the energy, carbon dioxide and water vapour are
produced as gaseous by-products.
• Carbon dioxide may not appear to be a pollutant as it exist
naturally in the atmosphere.
 Greenhouse gases
• Greenhouse gases are gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. They
let sunlight pass through the atmosphere, but they prevent the heat that the
sunlight brings from leaving the atmosphere. This causes the Earths
surface temperature to increase. This is called global warming.
The main greenhouse gases are:
• Water vapor
• Carbon dioxide
• Methane
• Ozone
• Nitrous oxide
• Chlorofluorocarbons
 Incomplete combustion

• Burning fuels in a limited supply of air has proven to be even

more dangerous due to the production of a poisonous gas
called carbon monoxide.
• Carbon monoxide has a greater affinity for the haemoglobin
forming the compound carboxyhaemoglobin.
• Once carboxyhaemoglobin is formed, the red blood cells can
no longer transport oxygen to the cells of the body.
 Continued
• A person suffering from low levels of carbon monoxide
poisoning may experience headaches, nausea and reduced
mental alertness.

• Extreme cases can lead to death by suffocation.

 Pollution from Particulates
• Incomplete combustion of fuels also leads to another group of
pollutants called particulates.

• These are tiny particles of unburnt carbon (soot).

• The accumulation of these particles in the atmosphere blocks

sunlight from reaching the Earth’s surface and this can lead to
global dimming.
Global Dimming
 Pollution from Sulphur-containing Fuels
• Most fossil fuels contain sulphur as an impurity. When we burn fossil
fuels containing sulphur, sulphur dioxide, an acidic and poisonous gas,
is produced.
• Sulphur + oxygen → sulphur dioxide

Sulphur dioxide is also released into the environment during

• Smelting (extracting metals from their ores),
• The production of sulphuric acid and
• The incineration of refuse.
 Effects of sulphur dioxide
• Sulphur dioxide in the atmosphere can have very adverse
effects.
• May cause respiratory disorders in humans and animals.
• Sulphur dioxide is an acidic gas and so it irritates the soft
lining of the lungs.
• Causes damage to the conjunctiva of the eye.
• Sulphur dioxide dissolves in rain water to produce acid rain.
Acid rain causes death of plants and aquatic animals. And also
weathers limestone rock and buildings and disintegrates metal
objects.
 Pollution from heavy metal
• The heavy metal lead has had an adverse effect on human life over the
years.
• The use of leaded gasoline and lead-based paints for domestic use.
• Lead is found in solder that is used to seam aluminium food can.
• Food or liquids stored in containers made from lead crystal, lead-glazed
pottery or porcelain.
• Industrial waste containing lead.
• The recycling or improper disposal of motor vehicle batteries which use
lead.
 Continued
• Lead exposure is very hazardous since lead is very toxic, even at low
concentrations.
lead is a cumulative poison and a build-up in the body may result in
• mental retardation,
• kidney damage,
• infertility,
• miscarriage and
• hypertension.
• Children are usually at a higher risk of lead poisoning and it is ofter
associated with learning and behavioural problems.
Respiratory Problems Caused by Environmental
Pollution
• Some pollutants may add to or cause symptoms such as
• headaches,
• chronic coughs,
• sinus problems,
• allergies and asthma.
• Some of these can lead to severe respiratory problems.
• As pollution increases, so the risk of suffering from these problems
increases.
 Bronchitis
• Bronchitis is an infection of the main airways of the lungs
(bronchi), causing them to become irritated and inflamed.
• The main symptom is a cough, which may bring up yellow-
grey mucus (phlegm).
• Bronchitis may also cause a sore throat and wheezing.
• It is usual caused by a viral or bacterial infection and is
aggravated by exposure to smoke, dust, strong fumes or
chemical irritants.
Bronchitis Continued
 Asthma
• Asthma is a condition in which your airways narrow and swell
and may produce extra mucus. This can make breathing
difficult and trigger coughing, a whistling sound (wheezing)
when you breathe out and shortness of breath.
• Symptoms: Cough; Wheeze

• Asthma may be triggered by many things, but it is most

frequently induced by allergies to pollutants, pollens, dust,
smoke, chemicals, bacteria and other irritants in the air.
Asthma Continued
 Emphysema

• Emphysema is a lung condition that causes shortness of

breath.
• In people with emphysema, the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli)
are damaged.
• Over time, the inner walls of the air sacs weaken and rupture
creating larger air spaces instead of many small ones.
• This mainly occur in people who smoke or live in severely
polluted areas
Emphysema Continued
 Pneumonia
• Pneumonia is an infection that inflames the air sacs in one or
both lungs.
• The air sacs may fill with fluid or pus (purulent material),
causing cough with phlegm or pus, fever, chills, and difficulty
breathing.
• A variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses and fungi,
can cause pneumonia
Pneumonia Continued
 Lung Cancer

• Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control.

• When cancer starts in the lungs, it is called lung cancer.
• Lung cancer begins in the lungs and may spread to lymph nodes or
other organs in the body, such as the brain.
• Cancer from other organs also may spread to the lungs.
• Many people who gets lung cancer have been smokers however non-
smokers can also develop lung cancer.
Lung Cancer Continued