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This Happens Inside Your Lung When You Breath Polluted Air

When you breathe polluted air, a mixture of fine particulate matter (such as PM₂.₅ and PM₁₀), gases (including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide), and toxic chemicals enters the respiratory tract. Larger particles are partially trapped by nasal hairs and airway mucus, but smaller particles bypass these defenses and travel deep into the lungs.

In the bronchi and bronchioles, pollutants irritate the airway lining, stimulating mucus production and causing the muscles around the airways to tighten. This can lead to coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Ultrafine particles penetrate all the way to the alveoli, the tiny air sacs responsible for oxygen exchange. Here, pollutants disrupt the thin alveolar–capillary membrane, reducing the efficiency of oxygen transfer.

The presence of pollutants activates immune cells such as macrophages, which release inflammatory chemicals and reactive oxygen species. While intended to protect the lungs, this inflammatory response can damage lung tissue when exposure is frequent or prolonged. Over time, repeated inflammation leads to airway remodeling, thickening of lung tissue, and reduced lung elasticity.

Some fine and ultrafine particles can cross from the alveoli into the bloodstream. Once in circulation, they contribute to systemic inflammation, increase blood clotting risk, and strain the cardiovascular system. Chronic exposure to polluted air is therefore linked not only to lung diseases like asthma, chronic bronchitis, and COPD, but also to heart disease, stroke, and premature death.

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