Take a Look Inside the Lungs

Tiny hair-like structures, called cilia, beat fast enough to move the mucus up the airways. As the mucus moves up the airways, irritants stick to the mucus and it is removed with a cough or is swallowed.

Smoking damages the cilia. The useless cilia cannot move the mucus up the airways and as a result, mucus builds up in the lungs and becomes quite thick. This type of situation is leaves the lungs vulnerable to infections.

Irritants remain in the lungs when the cilia are damaged. The airways become swollen and narrow when irritants stay in the lungs for an extended period of time

Over time irritants that are not removed can destroy the lung's elastic ability, and the lungs become floppy, making breathing harder. The loss of elasticity decreases the lungs ability to exhale and air remains trapped inside of the lungs.