The Functions of the Urinary System

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Comprising of the kidneys, ureter, bladder and urethra, the urinary system is responsible for the filtration, reabsorption and/or removal of dissolved organic substances and materials from the human blood stream. Fed directly by the aortic and superior vena cava blood vessels, the kidneys are the first point of the urinary system.
The kidneys produce the urine which drains into, and is stored in the bladder through the ureter before being excreted through the urethra as waste, and out of the body. On average the human bladder can hold approximately 500ml of urine before conscious waste release is necessary.
Positioned within the lower rear quadrant of the abdominal cavity, and protected to some extent by the lower rib cage, the kidneys are roughly the size of a human fist and are oval shaped. By filtering the blood entering them, they cleanse the blood, remove waste toxins, maintain blood plasma levels by regulating blood volume and pressure, and stabilise acidity levels as well as conserving nutrients. The left kidney sits slightly higher than the right due to the position on the ri...

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