Hello. Many years ago when I smoked I had a friend tell me that, if I quit, my lungs would eventually "clean themselves" of the tar and nicotine that's coating them. But since getting COPD, I now know that once the damage is done, it can't be reversed. However, I'm wondering if the lungs are capable of somewhat cleaning themselves. Again, many years ago I used to work with drywall - hang sheetrock, tape and finish, and even sand. Sanding the drywall joints always made my lungs/chest hurt, so I started wearing an inexpensive dust mask, which worked pretty well to minimize the chest hurting. I also worked with a lot of wood at a cabinet shop, sawing, drilling, routing, sanding, etc. So, I know for sure that I had lots of wood dust in my lungs, because at the end of every workday, I would blow my nose and some would come out. (Sorry if I just grossed anyone out!)
Anyway, if any of you have any comments regarding our lungs cleaning themselves, I'd appreciate it. I'm leaning towards no.