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Organs » Lung

Lung

Descriptions of Lung

Lung: One of a pair of organs in the chest that supplies the body with oxygen, and removes carbon dioxide from the body.
Source: National Institute of Health

Lung: either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
Source: WordNet 2.1

Lung : either of the pair of organs occupying the lateral cavity of the thorax that effect the aeration of the blood.
Source: CRISP

Lung : Either of the pair of organs occupying the cavity of the thorax that effect the aeration of the blood.
Source: MESH OBO (Open Biomedical Ontologies)

Article Excerpts about Lung

The lungs are the largest part of the respiratory system and have both "respiratory" and "non-respiratory" functions. The respiratory function involves gas exchange --- the transfer of oxygen from the air into the blood and the removal of carbon dioxide from the blood. Non-respiratory lung functions are mechanical, biochemical, and physiological. The lungs provide a defense against bacterial, viral and other infectious agents; remove various metabolic waste products; control the flow of water, ions, and large proteins across its cellular structures; and manufacture a variety of essential hormones and chemical agents that have important biological roles.

The most important job that the lungs perform is to provide the body with oxygen and to remove carbon dioxide. This process is called gas exchange, and the normal anatomy of the lungs serves this purpose well. The lungs contain 300 million alveoli whose ultrathin walls form the gas exchange surface. Enmeshed in the wall of each of these air sacs is a network of tiny blood vessels, the capillaries, which bring blood to the gas exchange surface. When a person inhales, air flows from the nose and mouth through large and small airways into the alveoli. Oxygen from this air then passes through the thin walls of the inflated alveoli and is taken up by the red blood cells for delivery to the rest of the body. At the same time, carbon dioxide leaves the blood and passes through the alveolar walls into the alveoli. During exhalation, the lung pushes the used air out of the alveoli and through the air passages until it escapes from the nose or mouth. (Source: excerpt from COPD: What Goes Wrong?: NHLBI)

Our lungs are essential for breathing and for getting oxygen into the bloodstream and the cells of our body. During a normal day, we breathe nearly 25,000 times, and inhale more than 10,000 liters of air. The air we inhale is mostly oxygen and nitrogen, but it also includes floating bacteria, viruses, tobacco smoke, car exhaust, and other air pollutants. Lung disease is not only a killer; most lung disease is chronic and debilitating. More than 30 million Americans are now living with chronic lung disease. (Source: excerpt from Lung Disease: NWHIC)

The lungs, a pair of sponge-like, cone-shaped organs, are part of the respiratory system . The right lung has three sections, called lobes ; it is a little larger than the left lung, which has two lobes. When we breathe in, the lungs take in oxygen, which our cells need to live and carry out their normal functions. When we breathe out, the lungs get rid of carbon dioxide, which is a waste product of the body's cells. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Lung Cancer: NCI)