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THE WAY OUR LUNGS WORK

Your lungs lie on either side of your heart and fill the inside of your chest. In an adult, each lung weighs about 1lb, although the right lung is a little larger than the left one because there is more room for it. The left lung has to share its space with the heart. Two thin layers of tissue, called the pleura, cover each lung. These layers - or membranes - slide back and forth over each other as we breathe so that the lungs can expand and contract.