How do the kidneys and lungs act in acid-base balance?
Acidosis is when the pH of blood falls below the norm (7.4 pH) and alkalosis is when the pH of blood rises above the norm. The kidney’s role is to remove nitrogenous wastes from the blood while conserving the proteins and water. Removal of nitrogenous wastes keeps the blood pH levels more in the normal range. One of the by products of cellurlar respiration (this is where glucose is broken down to CO2 and water with a release of energy which is used to construct ATP, the energy “currency” needed for cellurlar metabolism. The CO2 is transported back to the lungs via the plasm of the blood. Since blood plasma is mainly water, the water mixes with the CO2 to form a week acid. The when the blood is transported to the lungs, the CO2 is exchanged for oxygen, via diffusion in the alveole of the lungs. This reduces the “acidity” of the blood.. Hyperventalation, when you take deep breaths but exhale shallowly, increases acidity in the blood because you do not exhale enough of the CO2, thus the b
