Pink and Spongey

This model is a representation of a healthy lung (on the right) and a blackened lung of a smoker (on the left).

We use our lungs to breathe in oxygen from the air around us and transport it to every cell in our body. Smoking tobacco can have a detrimental effect on our lungs’ ability to provide oxygen to the cells in our body as it contains a sticky substance called tar.

Exploration Questions

Ask pupils the following questions as they explore the exhibit:

• What texture do you think the lungs have?
  Example answers: Slimy, spongey.
   
• What differences can you see between the 2 lungs?
  Example answer: One lung is black, and one is pink, the pink lung looks slightly bigger.
   
• Why do you think there are differences between the 2 lungs?
  Example answer: The pink lung is healthy and hasn’t been damaged by smoking and the black lung is unhealthy and has been damaged by smoking.

Activity

Ask pupils to inflate each of the lungs using the bags and then ask them the following questions:

• Which lung inflated the most?
  Example answer: The healthy, pink lung on the right.
   
• Why do you think the pink lung inflated more than the blackened lung?
  Example answers: It is healthier, it has more air sacs, and it has not been damaged by the chemicals in cigarettes.
   
• Take a breath in, then out, where do you feel your lungs in your body?
  Example answer: In the chest.