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Airways and air sacs of the lungs

Illustration showing airways and air sacs of the lungs

Each time you inhale, air flows down your trachea and enters two airways called bronchi, which direct air to your right and left lungs. From there, air flows into smaller branches of the bronchi called bronchioles and then ends up in clusters of air sacs (alveoli). Oxygen from the air enters tiny blood vessels in the walls of air sacs.

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