The function of lunges Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The function of lunges - Essay Example The bronchi further subdivide into bronchioles that divide even further into air sacs known as alveoli. Once inside the alveoli, air penetrates through a remarkably thin and wet membrane into the blood capillaries. Hemoglobin is the blood component that carries carbon dioxide from the heart. It releases it for exhalation in a backward process through the bronchioles, bronchi trachea and out through the nostrils. Oxygen present in the fresh air binds itself on the surface of hemoglobin and is transported to the heart for pumping to the other parts of the body. With oxygen supplied and carbon dioxide released, the gaseous exchange process is complete, which is the main function of the lungs (Hlastala and Albert 39). The lungs provide protection for the heart. The lungs are huge compared to all the other organs located in the chest cavity. They are made up of soft tissue and from their location on each side of the chest; they offer protection to the heart and other organs such as the arteries. Their soft tissue cushions the heart and acts as a shock absorber (Chiras 76). Lungs are fairly large with the human lungs ranging between ten and twelve inches. They can hold up to four hundred and fifty milliliters of blood. That is about nine percent of the all the blood circulating in the body. The lungs act as a reservoir from where blood is drawn to compensate for the blood lost through hemorrhage (Chiras 76). The lungs prevent the body from air-borne infection. Sometimes dust, bacteria or any other harmful particles are inhaled together with air. The mucus layer at the surface of the respiratory surface traps any of these foreign particles. The foreign materials are moved upwards through the beating of cilia, or the lungs initiate a cough that causes the expulsion of the materials outside the body (Chiras 77). Apart from being significant for metabolism, gaseous exchange has a second significance. It is necessary for