20 Amazing and Interesting Facts about Lungs | Amazing Facts 4U
- The word “Lung” originates from a 13th-century European language, it means “light” which refers to the weight of the organ when considering its size.
- Most vertebrate animals i.e. animals with spines have two lungs. The study of lung diseases is known as pulmonology.
- Human lungs are the organs responsible for respiration which involves inhaling oxygen to be sent to all body parts and exhaling carbon dioxide which has been produced due to metabolic processes.
- There are two lungs in the human body, the right lung, and the left lung. These two lungs together weigh about 1.3 kilograms. The left lung has two lobes and is slightly smaller than the right lung due to a heart notch. The right lung has three lobes.
- A healthy lung is pink, smooth, and shiny while people who smoke damage their lungs making it black, bumpy and dull.
- Amazing fact is that the total length of the airways running through the two lungs is 1,500 miles or 2,400 kilometers.
- The two lungs together contain 300 to 500 million alveoli which are tiny and spongy air sacks no thicker than a typical cell. These alveoli are present at the end of the smallest of airways and are the true sites of carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange.
- It has been estimated that the total internal surface area of lungs in adult humans vary between 30-50 sq. meters which is about the total area of one side of a tennis court.
- The alveoli in lungs are surrounded by capillaries which are the smallest of blood vessels in human body. If all capillaries surrounding the alveoli are placed end to end, they will cover an amazing 616 miles or 992 kilometers.
- Our mouth is directly connected to the lungs through trachea while esophagus connects to stomach. Interestingly, both trachea and esophagus share the same opening, which is why we can breathe using our mouth.
- At the time of birth, a baby’s lungs are not inflated and are actually filled with a fluid that is secreted by the lungs. After birth a sudden change in environment and temperature triggers the first breath usually within 10 seconds expanding the lungs.
- Human lungs consist of special cells which are responsible for the production of mucous which is then pushed up and out of the lungs by special tiny hairs. The mucous is our first line of defense against dangerous microbes that enter our body while breathing.
- Lungs play a pivotal role when it comes to talking or making sound. Our voice box called larynx is placed right above our wind pipe containing two small ridges known as vocal cords that open and close to produce sound. The amounts of air we push through the vocal cords from our lungs actually control the volume and pitch of our talk.
- Amazingly no matter how hard we exhale, our lungs will always retain 1 liter of air in the airways. This makes the lungs only human organs that can float on water.
- Fact is that our lungs breathe in and out about 11,000 liters of air every day. Every year our lungs process more than about 4 million liters of air.
- The rate at which the lungs inhale and exhale are directed by the brain. The brain is capable of sensing oxygen concentration in air and thereby increases or decreases respiration rate accordingly.
- Most people do not breathe correctly without even realising it. We often breathe too shallow, hold our breath, breathe through our mouths, or breathe through just one nostril. Inhaling should be deep with abdomen pushed out. Focusing on breathing correctly will increase oxygen supplies to help us relax and improve concentration..
- The important diseases affecting lungs are asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia and tuberculosis.
- Smoking is really bad for lungs. Tar from cigarettes can cause lung diseases and lung cancer. Smoking is responsible for over 80% of lung cancer deaths.
- We can live with one lung but it limits our physical ability. Many people around the world live with just one lung.
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