Sweat

Sweat

Sweat
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 3 to 5
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	5.22

Vocabulary

challenging words:

coiled, dermis, dilute, excrete, gland, pores, scalp, urea, palms, system, urine, regularly, layer, especially, quart, onto

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Sweat
By Jennifer Kenny

¹     There are many parts to the excretory system in your body. Your lungs remove carbon dioxide. Your kidneys remove liquid wastes. Your large intestine removes wastes from food. What role do you think your skin plays?

²     There are three million sweat glands in a grownup's body. They can only be seen with a microscope. Their job is to excrete wastes and cool down the body. Many of the sweat glands are concentrated in the skin of the feet, the palms of your hands, your underarms, your scalp, and your forehead. Each sweat gland is like a tiny, coiled tube. These glands are in the inner layer of the skin, or dermis, and produce sweat. The sweat empties out at the surface through your pores.

³     Sweat can be compared to very dilute urine. It is made of mostly water, but it also contains mineral salts the body doesn't need and tiny amounts of urea. When the sweat is excreted onto your skin's surface, evaporation changes it from liquid form to gas form because of your body heat. Sweat makes you feel cooler. It also keeps you from overheating. While the water evaporates, the mineral salts and urea are left behind, sometimes causing body odor. That's why it is important to clean your body regularly and remove these materials.

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