# Do white blood cells eat foreign non-organic substances in the bloodstream? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 20, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201 "2018-02-20T15:10:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/1 "2018-02-20T15:10:45Z")
I read online about how white blood cells eat “foreign substances” in the bloodstream and this had me wondering if that was only for organic matter (i.e., a bacterial infection) or if it’s ANYTHING that does not belong in the bloodstream. For instance, some people will rub hand lotion onto even open, bleeding wounds and cuts, or Vaseline. Some of that hand lotion or Vaseline stuff is bound to get into the bloodstream, albeit a tiny amount. Do white blood cells eat up that stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/2 "2018-02-20T17:07:59Z")
Chemical filtering is more the job of the liver and kidneys. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/3 "2018-02-20T18:15:05Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > Chemical filtering is more the job of the liver and kidneys. Interesting; do they just store it up or convert the foreign stuff into something else? (be it lotion, vaseline, something absorbed through skin contact, etc) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2018, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/4 "2018-02-20T19:46:26Z")
The liver breaks down some things, stores others. That’s why alcoholics get cirrhosis of the liver, and why people die from liver failure due to poisonous mushrooms. And the main purpose if the kidneys is to filter crap from the bloodstream and piss it away. The wiki pages for both organs go into some detail. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/5 "2018-02-21T00:44:17Z")
WBC definitely ingest solid materials they find in an animal body. For example, inhaled asbestos fibers are engulfed by leukocytes. The results are unfortunately to make worse problems, however. [Health insurance quotes | Private health care - Aviva](https://www.aviva.co.uk/health-insurance/home-of-health/medical-centre/medical-encyclopedia/entry/asbestos-related-diseases/) When fiberglass fibers are ingested, they don’t cause problems, and the dead leukocytes are then disposed of. I’d assume soil that might make its way into a wound is disposed of in that way as well. WBC also process our own, dead, keratinocytes – the dead outer horny (horn-like, don’t tell me the erotic state of your dead skin please) keratin scales that make up our skin. When keratinocytes enter our pores and get mixed up with excess skin oil, anaerobic bacteria and keratinocytes, WBC must ingest it all, and produce pus – acne pustules. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/6 "2018-02-21T00:50:06Z")
Thing is, I don’t know what happens to dead WBC full of insoluble material. I guess the best place for it them to end up is the small intestine via the intestinal lymphatic system. Its open, and would be a good way to rid the body of soil, fiberglass, indigestible keratinocytes. Dunno if it works in that way 'tho. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/7 "2018-02-21T01:14:36Z")
It’s my understanding that macrophages are very indiscriminate and will try to eat _anything_ that doesn’t have the proper immune markers, inanimate or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/8 "2018-02-21T02:21:31Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > For instance, some people will rub hand lotion onto even open, bleeding wounds and cuts, or Vaseline. Some of that hand lotion or Vaseline stuff is bound to get into the bloodstream, albeit a tiny amount. Do white blood cells eat up that stuff? Really, not much will enter the body. Remember that the bleeding is from blood leaking out of the body. Also pushing out germs on your skin, foreign substances, etc. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/9 "2018-02-21T09:52:01Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > had me wondering if that was only for organic matter (i.e., a bacterial infection) or if it’s ANYTHING that does not belong in the bloodstream. > > For instance […]hand lotion […] or Vaseline Slight nitpick - both Vaseline and most common hand lotion ingredients like cetyl alcohol are [not inorganic matter](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_compound). ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/10 "2018-02-22T00:28:07Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > It’s my understanding that macrophages are very indiscriminate and will try to eat _anything_ that doesn’t have the proper immune markers, inanimate or otherwise. Interesting, but then after they die, what prevents them from becoming the next thing that needs to be eaten? Seems like all the eaten and un-eaten stuff would build up in the bloodstream. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/11 "2018-02-22T08:08:44Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Interesting, but then after they die, what prevents them from becoming the next thing that needs to be eaten? Seems like all the eaten and un-eaten stuff would build up in the bloodstream. Macrophages break up the things they ingest, and they also break up themselves (autodigestion) after they’ve done their job. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/12 "2018-02-22T08:24:00Z")
n/m, duplicate ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-white-blood-cells-eat-foreign-non-organic-substances-in-the-bloodstream/809201/13 "2018-02-22T13:15:13Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Some of that hand lotion or Vaseline stuff is bound to get into the bloodstream, albeit a tiny amount. That be a reasonable intuition, but think about about how the cardio-vascular system is constructed and what kind of cuts we’re talking about. An analogy: You have ten parallel pipes fed from the same source. You cut one of them. Take a big wedge out at the least. Put a big glob of Vaseline (which isn’t water soluble) in that cut. Is it going to be pushed into circulation in your pipe system? Unless the cut is very small, and the pressure is so high the cut doesn’t reduce it much, you will at most push the Vaseline into the “disconnected” pipe, at which point the blood will again just flow out the cut. So unless you’re talking about stuffing lotion into a gushing artery, no, it’s not getting into your bloodstream in a way different from any water soluble chemical substance that passes through your mucous membranes all the time.