how does our lungs clean themselves from small things that get in them like dust?
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Despite what most comments are saying, the predominant method of removing inhaled particulate matter/dust from the lungs is actually via lung macrophages, not mucocilliary clearance. Macrophages are modified white blood cells that are like large garbage cans for the body – they intake foreign material and store it there. In smokers and individuals that live urban centers/areas of high air pollution, the macrophages appear black on microscopy. This is due to anthrocotic pigment within the macrophage. You can see an image of it in the wiki link below.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alveolar_macrophage
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(18)30158-X/fulltext
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24058272/#:~:text=Lung%20macrophages%20play%20a%20critically,particulate%20matter%20from%20the%20lung.
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