Chromium and chromates are known to be ciliotoxic and harmful to workers in mining and industry. In addition, certain areas of Saudi Arabia have chromium in the sand with an associated high incidence of sinus disease and chest disease. Workers in plating and sanding industries should wear protective inhalers and use pulsating saline irrigation to remove these chemicals and help restore the nasal ciliary action. Smoking does not give consistent results, even in the laboratory. One interesting phenomenon is the patient who has swollen nasal membranes after he stops smoking.
Some patients return to smoking to overcome the congestion and blockage.
What may be the mechanism here is that the smoke acted as an irritant to the cilia, inducing movement. Much has been written about a common industrial complaint which also involves litigation, that of multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome. After a single powerful exposure, the individual in now sensitive to products not previously offensive. After the insecticide was sprayed in her office, now perfume, soap powder and small amounts of dust clog her nose and make her cough. In my experience, some of these cases are characterized by the first offender acting as a strong ciliotoxic substance, now the cilia are no longer defending the body and removing the dust and other particles so that the dust just lays there, multiplies and reaches a symptom producing level.