# What happens if I accidentaly inhale food?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-accidentaly-inhale-food/175607>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 16, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-accidentaly-inhale-food/175607 "2003-05-16T03:45:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-accidentaly-inhale-food/175607/1 "2003-05-16T03:45:31Z")

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So, I was eating prezel sticks(prezel cigars) and I was thinking, "What happens if I inhale the dust or the little chunks of the sticks?

For that matter, what happens if you inhale other food, of a more sizeable matter, but not enough to block the airway?

How does it get out of your lungs?

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**Author:** ![stoyel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/54ee81/32.png) [@stoyel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stoyel)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-accidentaly-inhale-food/175607/2 "2003-05-16T03:57:52Z")

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Same way other particles get out – you cough 'em up sooner or later.

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-i-accidentaly-inhale-food/175607/3 "2003-05-16T05:02:39Z")

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Alternatively, it lodges in your lung and becomes a focal point for bacterial growth, leading to nasty things.

A bunch of things you probably did not want to know can be found in this article on [aspiration pneumonia](http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000121.htm).