Mumbai, Feb 13: As air pollution continues to choke major Indian metros, new research reveals a worrying truth about how our lungs react to polluted air. A study by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay,
focusing on cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, shows that producing more mucus — the body’s natural defence — may actually reduce protection instead of improving it. This can lead to breathing problems, asthma attacks and other serious respiratory issues.
The study, conducted by Swarnaditya Hazra and Professor Jason R. Picardo and published in the Journal of Fluid Mechanics, focuses on the “middle airways” — the branching tubes between the windpipe and the tiny air sacs of the lungs.
Uneven mucus distribution
Normally, when pollutants or allergens enter the lungs, the airways release mucus to trap harmful particles. However, the IIT Bombay team found that when the amount of mucus increases, it does not spread evenly as expected. Instead, because of surface tension, the mucus gathers into narrow, ring-like humps along the airway walls. These humps are deeper but narrower, leaving large areas of the airway wall exposed.
“Our work shows that the mucus coating becomes more patchy as its volume increases,” Professor Picardo said, adding that the finding is counterintuitive.
The researchers had predicted this result using mathematical theory before confirming it through computer simulations. They found that surface tension pulls the mucus into concentrated humps instead of allowing it to form a smooth protective layer.
Health implications
“This has serious health implications. Urban soot particles are extremely small, often thousands of times thinner than a human hair. These tiny particles move randomly in the air and can easily settle on any exposed part of the airway wall. When excess mucus creates patchy areas, it leaves parts of the lungs unprotected, allowing particles to deposit deeper inside and potentially trigger asthma attacks,” said Professor Picardo.
The study also explains why asthma can worsen quickly. When a person with asthma inhales an allergen, the body responds by producing more mucus.
According to the findings, this extra mucus forms humps that expose more of the airway wall, allowing more allergens to settle and further increase the allergic reaction.
The researchers also studied how particles of different sizes behave inside the lungs. Large particles tend to crash into the front of the mucus humps and get trapped. Very small particles drift and settle in exposed areas. Particles of medium size, however, can sometimes move past the humps and escape the lung’s natural defences.
Implications for treatment
The findings could also help improve inhaled medicines. “Most drug research focuses on the nose or the air sacs, but the middle airways are not well understood. By understanding how mucus humps affect where particles land, scientists may be able to design drug particles that reach specific parts of the lungs more effectively,” said Professor Picardo.
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While more research is needed, the study provides a clear physical explanation for why some asthma attacks become severe so quickly, especially in polluted environments.
For millions breathing polluted air every day, the research highlights a troubling reality: more mucus does not always mean better protection and, in some cases, it may make the lungs more vulnerable.
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