There are a couple dozen other elements that are in there in trace amounts, but to a first approximation you're just a bag of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen. Now, it turns out that the atmosphere is a bag of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen as well, and it's not living.
Cigarette smoking is the most common irritant that causes emphysema. Pipe, cigar, and other types of tobacco smoking can also cause emphysema, especially if the smoke is inhaled. Fumes and Dust. Breathing in other fumes and dusts over a long period of time may also cause the disease.
The most common cause of emphysema is smoking. Pulmonary fibrosis involves scarring, or fibrosis, in the lungs. This process causes air sacs and the supporting lung tissue to become stiff and thick. Fibrosis worsens over time and the lungs are not able to move oxygen into the blood stream.