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Health Topics/Healthy Respiratory System/Lung Disease and Respiratory System/Functions of the Lungs

What is the role of the lungs?

Brigham and Women's Hospital
Brigham and Women's Hospital
The lungs take in oxygen, which cells need to live and carry out their normal functions. The lungs also get rid of carbon dioxide, a waste product of the body's cells.

The lungs are a pair of cone-shaped organs made up of spongy, pinkish-gray tissue. They take up most of the space in the chest, or the thorax (the part of the body between the base of the neck and diaphragm).

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