Smart Science: The Excretory and
Urinary Systems
By: Lisset
Ever wonder what happens inside your body when you
have to go to the restroom? Why your urine is a certain color
every time you go? This all has to do with your excretory and
urinary system.
The excretory system is only one of the many systems
working to maintain your body. This system controls the
chemical make- up of liquids found in the body and is involuntary
which means it happens without you thinking about it.
Organs in your body help with this job along with other jobs
in your body. Your lungs remove carbon dioxide when you
exhale. The sweat glands in your skin are responsible for
taking away water, salts and wastes not needed. The large
intestine removes solid waste in the form of feces. The last
organ of the excretory system, the kidneys, remove urea, salts
and extra water from the blood. The excretory system is very
important, without it everything in your body gets out of
balance.
If you recall from paragraph 1, the excretory system
controls the chemical make-up of liquids found in the body. The
urinary system is completely different…. it controls how
much water is in the body and removes waste. The organs of
the urinary system include the kidneys, two ureters, the
bladder and the urethra. The kidneys filter and clean the
blood. They also form urine. They are about the size of a fist
and are bean-shaped …. imagine a bean the size of a fist.
That’s big!!! The kidneys are located below the rib cage, near
the middle of the back. Following the kidneys, are the ureters,
which bring urine to the urinary bladder. Have you ever
blown up a balloon and seen how much air it holds and far it
stretches? The urinary bladder is a lot like this balloon…it
stretches to hold urine till a person goes to the restroom urine
leaves the body through the urethra. So what exactly is urine?
How is it made? Urine forms when the kidneys filter waste
from the blood. Urine classifies from colorless to dark yellow.
Normal urine is usually a pale yellow color. The darker the
urine, the less water it contains. Meats and poultry
containing protein are broken down in the stomach and a
molecule containing nitrogen, urea is also removed through
urine. Urine is important when removing waste… but but can
also be dangerous.
Diseases or infections can cause serious issues to one’s
health. Kidney stones are one example of an infection to the
kidneys. Kidney stones are formed through certain minerals.
Not everyone has the same size of stones, some are big while
some are small. Kidney stones cause little pain while others
cause a great deal pain. These stones can be removed through
surgery or ultrasound treatment. Another example of a
kidney disease is kidney failure. This is caused when the
kidneys cannot filter waste in the body. Eventually, this
waste builds up in the body and disrupts the balance of the
body. A number of things can cause kidney failure. For
example, injuries to the kidneys, blood lost from the body or
by drugs put in the body. When a person’s kidneys have
failed, a machine called a kidney dialysis or hemodialysis is attached
to the person and acts as the kidneys…. doing the same jobs
the kidneys would normally do.
The urinary system and excretory system play a very
important role in the body. Without them your body wouldn’t
be as balanced as it is now and it wouldn’t do the same things
it does now either. You help your excretory and urinary
system stay healthy by not doing drugs, drinking lots of water
and playing safe when excersing or playing sports. Next time
you go to the restroom, think of the amazing things your body
is doing to keep you healthy… I mean really think about itWhat would you do without these two systems?
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