How Is Oxygen Transported Around the Human Body?
Oxygen is transported throughout the body via the cardiovascular system, according to the National Register of Personal Trainers, or NRPT. The lungs, blood, heart and blood vessels work together to carry oxygen around the body.
Air first enters the body through the nose or mouth and then goes into the larynx, trachea and the lungs, explains the NRPT. Air passes through bronchial tubes in the lungs until it reaches the alveoli, tiny air sacs in the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place. The alveoli enable the oxygen to be transferred into the blood. Once it is in the blood, transportation of oxygen around the body begins. Only a small amount of oxygen is transported in the plasma of the blood because oxygen does not dissolve easily in water. The rest of the oxygen is transported after combining with the hemoglobin in red blood cells.