 |
What is mucus? |
Burps, Boogers, and Beyond
Each time you breathe in, air enters your nose. But what about the viruses, bacteria and allergens in the air? It’s a good thing your body makes mucus, the slippery fluid that traps germs so do they do not harm your body. Mucus is a barrier to foreign invaders that can make your body sick.
Mucus is mostly water, but it also contains other substances, such as salt and the protein mucin. In addition to your nose, mucus can be found in body parts like your throat and stomach. Mucus protects your body’s passageways and keeps them moist. Imagine how irritated your nostrils would be without mucus (also called snot). All of that dry air would really start to sting!
Where does all of this mucus end up? Tiny hairs called cilia sweep the mucus to the back of your throat. When swallowed, it eventually arrives in your stomach, where the germs it has trapped are destroyed.
Did you know that your body can make more than 1 liter of mucus a day? That’s as much fluid as the liquid that fills a big bottle of soda you buy at the grocery store!
- Broadfoot, Marla Vacek. “Why do our bodies make icky mucus?” NewsObserver.com. The News & Observer Publishing Company, 30 May. 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2012.
- Golob, Jonathan. “What Is Snot?” The Stranger. Index Newspapers, LLC., 20 Dec. 2011. Web. 31 Jan. 2012.
- "mucus." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 31 Jan. 2012.
- “What is mucus?” Avoid Nasal Allergies. avoid-nasal-allergies.com. Web. 31 Jan. 2012.