Lungs In The Human Body

840 Words4 Pages
Breathing is a universal function of all humans. Lungs are one of the most crucial organs in the human body; without them we cannot function. They allow people to breathe oxygen, and they provide it to the rest of the body. The oxygen the lungs inhale allows for the heart to pump, blood to flow, and the brain to function properly. The lungs are the basis to a healthy, vital life. The lungs are one of the most important organs in your body. They are located above the diaphragm and below the rib cage. The right lung, placed above the liver, is wider and shorter than the left while the left lung is narrower but longer in order to make room for the heart. Lobes, or smaller sections of the lungs, are made of a sponge-like tissue and surrounded…show more content…
After receiving oxygen, the blood in capillaries leaves the lungs and moves to the heart where the oxygen is pumped to the tissue and cells in the rest of the body. When this happens carbon dioxide is produced then taken to the lungs by blood. When the lungs expand they pull oxygen in, and as they exhale and remove carbon dioxide they compress. To keep the tubes clean and filter out the dirt there are tiny microscopic hairs in the passageways called cilia. The cilia can be paralyzed by the chemicals in tobacco and cigarettes which leads to infections and the inability to move mucus and debris, such as dust, pollen, and bacteria, upwards to clear the lungs. Without the lungs breathing in oxygen and out carbon dioxide the other cells in our body would not be able to…show more content…
Cigarettes contain chemicals that cause the lungs to inflame and can cause an overabundance in mucus. The nicotine in cigarettes and tobacco paralyzes the cilia, which normally cleans out any dirt or chemicals that enters the lungs, causing symptoms such as lung congestion and smoker’s cough. To be able to breathe properly, we need a large functioning surface area, but as the chemicals, such as nicotine and carbon monoxide, in tobacco and cigarettes go to the lungs it causes that functioning surface area to shrink by breaking down the lung tissue leading to emphysema. Smoking not only generates respiratory problems, it also can cause lung cancer. Ninety percent of lung cancer is caused by smoking. Despite the fact smoking increases health risks, after ten to fifteen years of someone not smoking their lungs are at almost the same risk to develop lung cancer as someone who has never smoked in their life. Every year lung cancer kills more than breast, colon, and prostate cancers do combined. To keep our lungs up and running we need to take care of

More about Lungs In The Human Body

Open Document