How does our lungs get rid of tiny particles breathed directly into the lungs?

1. 82

   wandererhposted 13 years ago

   How does our lungs get rid of tiny particles breathed directly into the lungs?
   
   Tiny particles are in the air around us all the time.  When we breathe in these particles, some of them will end up being deposited directly onto our lungs.  Is there a mechanism through which our lungs can get rid of these particles, or do they stay in our lungs until we die?

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2. 70

   thumbi7posted 13 years ago

   The tubules within our lungs have hair like structures lining their inner wall. These hair like structures capture all the tiny particles and move them in the upward direction towards our throat along with mucous.  From there, we either cough them out or blow them out through nose.

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3. 60

   tom hellertposted 13 years ago

   if they can be expelled if they are not smaller than 10 microns- AKA PM-10. The particles larger than pm10 will get caught in the phlem of the throat, and in the cillia-small fibers that line the throat and lungs they will undulate rythmiclly and eventually expell the particles through the phlem. Studies have shown particles smaller than 10 microns are not expelled by the body through mechanical means small bio-agents and asbestos are particles smaller than 10 micron limit.
   TH

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4. 60

   againsttheoddsposted 13 years ago

   The human lung is an incredibly complex and intricate organ for such a seemingly simple task that it carries out.  It has a strong defense mechanism, yet nanoparticle toxicity may present fresh challenges for the future. Besides the respiration... read more

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5. 82

   wandererhposted 13 years ago

   Thanks for the replies.  I really did learn something... and I didn't know that there are so many smart people on HubPages. 

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