Can Pet Hair Be Inhaled into the Body?

"With so much Pet shedding, what happens if you eat/inhale it?"

I believe many Pet owners have heard this question before...

Although deep down they know, "I've been inhaling for ten years, and I'm still fine," they can't produce reasonable evidence...

Of course, some Pet owners, when faced with Pet hair in their cups, on the sofa, or even on their workstations miles away...

may also self-doubt: Have I really never ingested a single Pet hair? Where did the Pet hairs I ate go?

Today, let's scientifically discuss this question together~

01- Can Pet Hair Be Inhaled into the Lungs?

Blocked by Nose Hair, Can't Inhale

The nasal passages, bronchi, and tracheal mucous epithelial cells of humans have cilia that rapidly swing towards the throat, designed to block and clear various foreign particles.

The first line of defense in the nasal cavity—nose hair—can filter out 95% of particles with a diameter exceeding 15μm (dust, bacteria, and other harmful substances) in the inhaled air.

So, Pet hairs with a diameter of around 30μm are, of course, kept out!

In addition, human hair (with a diameter of 84.01±23.07μm), as well as some types of wool (14~17μm), won't be inhaled either.

Even if they enter the nasal cavity, protective mechanisms like sneezing and coughing prevent particle inhalation.

In fact, the particle size that humans can inhale is below 10μm. Not to mention that, considering "diameter," if the hair is long, it may not even enter the nostrils...

So, the idea of "Pet hair accumulating in the lungs" is even more unlikely.

Babies Also Have Nose Hair

Moreover, the rumor that "babies don't have nose hair, so they inhale Pet hair into their lungs" is false.

Around 12 weeks into pregnancy, the fetus's hair follicles start producing hair, and the nasal hair follicles are no exception. Although a newborn's nasal hair is softer than an adult's, it is still present.

Between 2 to 4 months after birth, infants gradually shed their fetal hair, and the newly grown nasal hair becomes more observable.

However, some children only grow more noticeable nose hair between the ages of 8 months and 3 years. Even if nasal hair isn't easily observable, it still performs its function.

02- Can Pet Hair Be Ingested?

It's Hard to Ingest

Unlike Pets, which can swallow without chewing, our molars can grind food. On average, each bite involves 4 to 8 chews. Therefore, it's easier for our mouths to detect "inedible" foreign objects.

Have you ever accidentally eaten a strand of hair, a steel wool fiber while eating or washing dishes... not a pleasant experience, right?

Hence, the probability of not noticing something directly swallowed is very low.

But what if it's really swallowed?

Indeed Hard to Digest

Let's address a somewhat scary rumor that some might have heard, even if they don't own a Pet: "Stomach acid can't digest hair, so if you accidentally eat your own hair, it will stay in your stomach forever."

Whether it's human hair, nails, or Pet fur, they all consist of a fibrous structural protein—keratin.

Keratin is found in hair, fur, scales, feathers, nails, hooves, horns, beaks, silk, and other epidermal structures, forming animal horns (like those of Pettle and antelopes), shells (turtle shells, scales, fish scales), claws (claws, hoof nails), etc.

Keratin is insoluble in water, salt solutions, weak acids, or weak alkalis, and both the human and Pet digestive systems cannot break it down.

However!

Accidentally Ingested Keratin Can be Excreted

A small amount of ingested keratin, whether it's human hair, Pet fur, or the nails you bit off as a child... can be completely expelled through feces.

Similarly, if you accidentally eat the hair on improperly cleaned pigskin or chicken skin... it can be excreted with feces without affecting health.

Although in conclusion, Pet hair doesn't get inhaled into the lungs, and it doesn't easily accumulate in the stomach...

Pet hair piling up on the floor, sofa, or in the corners of the room can still affect the quality of life for both Pets and humans and may increase the likelihood of allergies.

So, as a final note, here's a handy tip to effectively prevent Pet hair from flying everywhere:

Brush long-haired Pets every 1-2 days;

Brush short-haired Pets every 2-4 days!