this post was submitted on 10 Feb 2026
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Did you study it in kindergarten and nowhere else? Because whether or not your lungs are “self cleaning” or not has absolutely nothing to do with how dangerous smoking is.
Do you really want to have a discussion about that? Because I am more than happy to explain my reasoning.
The biological body has the capacity to regenerate and self clean. If you live in a place with lots of smog, that's the equivalant of smoking cigarettes. It's like with any harmful thing, moderation is the key. If I smoke up to 5 cigarettes a day and live in a place with little to no smog, I'm much less likely to suffer adverse effects to my lungs and throat than not smoking at all and living in a place with lots of smog.
In addition, I suspect I have some genetic immunity. My great grandfather smoked more than a pack a day for decades, and he lived to like 95 years old.
Now, about the lung self-cleaning thing. As cells divide, new cells take their place, and old cells are either metabolised by the body or shed off like skin. Inside your lungs, tissue that's damaged by smoking can be healed, as long as it isn't too severe. Aside from that, lungs secrete mucus when irritated, which is then expelled along with the irritant (in most cases. Things like asbestos and fiberglass just stay in there). Through this natural process, the lungs clean themselves from the inside. As long as the rate of intake of the irritant does not exceed tha capacity for the lungs to expell that irritant, the situation doesn't get worse.
That is my reasoning. Feel free to give me your take.