Here’s How Repeated Exposure To Pigeon Droppings Could Be Damaging Your Lungs | Health and Fitness News

Last Updated:July 09, 2025, 14:16 IST

While pigeons are often perceived as harmless, these birds carry a serious risk to respiratory health. Experts share how you can stay safe and protect your lungs.

In many Indian cities, pigeons have become a part of the urban landscape. Cooing on balconies, perching on ledges, and nesting on rooftops, pigeons can be spotted everywhere. While often perceived as harmless, city dwellers, these birds carry with them a lesser-known but serious risk to respiratory health, especially for individuals with prolonged exposure or weakened immunity.

According to Dr. Gunjan Chanchalani, Director, Critical Care Medicine, Wockhardt Hospitals, Mumbai Central, long-term exposure to pigeon droppings and feathers can result in Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP), also known as Bird Fancier’s Lung. This is an immune-mediated lung condition triggered by repeated inhalation of fine dust particles from dried droppings or feathers. “This immune reaction causes inflammation in the lungs and airways, which can gradually progress to lung fibrosis, a condition that severely impairs breathing and, in some cases, leads to the need for a lung transplant,” she explains.

Early symptoms of hypersensitivity pneumonitis include dry cough, persistent tiredness, chest tightness, and breathlessness, which are frequently misdiagnosed as asthma or allergies. If ignored, these signs can worsen over time, eventually leading to permanent lung damage or failure.

In people with compromised immune systems, exposure to pigeon droppings can also result in fungal infections, such as Histoplasmosis and Cryptococcosis, both of which can cause flu-like symptoms – fever, chills, cough, and shortness of breath.

How to Protect Yourself: Smart, Preventive Measures

While not everyone who encounters pigeons is at risk, taking a few precautions can dramatically reduce potential health impacts. Dr Ravindra Sanglikar, Consultant Pulmonology, KIMS Hospitals, Thane, suggests:

• Avoid direct contact with pigeon nests or droppings. Never touch them with your bare hands.
• Always wear gloves and a mask when cleaning areas where pigeons congregate.
• Do not dry sweep droppings. Wet the area first to avoid inhaling harmful dust.
• Install fine-mesh screens on windows and balconies to prevent droppings and feathers from entering the home.
• Block nesting spots using bird spikes, nets, or by sealing small gaps in roofs or ledges.
• Keep food sources out of reach to discourage roosting in domestic areas.

“Pigeons can seem harmless, but they can be a real health hazard, especially for certain individuals,” adds Dr. Chanchalani. “While most healthy people may not be affected, those experiencing recurrent respiratory symptoms – like breathlessness, chronic cough, fatigue, or reduced exercise tolerance – should seek medical attention and inform their doctor of any pigeon exposure.”

Pigeons may be part of everyday life in urban India, but their droppings and feathers can quietly compromise your lung health.

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Delhi, India, India

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