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Respiratory System
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Definition
- The respiratory system refers to the organs used in breathing such as the nose, throat, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs. Your body uses this system to take in oxygen from the air and expel carbon dioxide.
- Respiration - is the act of inhaling and exhaling. In others words, breathing.
- Respiratory protection refers preventing damage to the respiratory systems of employees who work in environments with insufficient oxygen or where harmful dusts, fogs, smokes, mists, fumes, gases, vapors, or sprays are present. The most commonly used form of respiratory protection involves respirators.
Additional Info
The term pulmonary is used to refer to processes or conditions involving the lungs. For example, pulmonary edema is an abnormal buildup of fluid in the lungs.
SDS Relevance
Exposure to certain chemicals can result in irritation or damage to the respiratory system. Always read the Safety Data Sheet to determine the safe working limits (PEL and TWA values) and to see what kind of personal protective equipment (PPE) is suggested. Avoid exposure to dusts, fumes and vapors.
Respirators are pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that can help protect your respiratory system from exposure to hazardous chemicals. SDS's may call for such PPE if appropriate engineering controls such as fume hoods are not available; you will find this information in Section 8 (exposure controls/personal protection) of the sheet.
Further Reading
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- How the Lungs Work (Also known as Respiratory System) at the NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Click on tabs to expand each subsection.
- The Respiratory System at WebMD.
- A drawing of the respiratory system at Kimball's Biology Pages.
- OSHA's Respiratory Protection Advisor Home Page with all kinds of links, training, tips, information and more.
- OSHA's Respiratory Protection eTool.
- OSHA Publication 3790, Respirator Medical Evaluation Questionnaire (257K, PDF file).
- Respiratory Protection for the Nation, A Report From the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, is an opinion piece in JAMA, 2022, 327(11), pp1023-1024.
- 29 CFR 1910.134, OSHA's Respiratory Protection Standard.
- The American Lung Association
See also: asthma, emphysema, respirator.