After moderate aerobic exercise, mucociliary clearance
in the smokers was similar to that in the nonsmokers ex-
posed to the same stimulus. Although slower than the
mucociliary clearance in the nonsmokers at rest, mucocili-
ary clearance in this group responded acutely to moderate
exercise. This finding lends support to the hypothesis that
the exercise stimulus leads to beneficial responses, even in
smokers who already exhibit impairment with regard to
this important defense mechanism.