As far as I understand, the middle ear has air in it, and the squeezing feeling felt when descending into the depths of the ocean or ascending into the sky is caused by an imbalance in the air pressure of the air in the middle ear and the air in the environment. My question is, if you were presently in a smoggy environment and you "equalized", would that smog get trapped in the middle ear and cause damage as soon as the eustachian tube sealed off the middle ear once more?

I wouldn't think so, none of the contents of fog would affect nonsensitive skin. Ozone, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and the other chemicals in smog all affect the lungs. The only way you would get enough chemicals in your ears to do damage is if you were skydiving and you land in a smoggy area. I don't think it would do damage though.

In theory, toxins or damaging chemicals could make their way into the middle ear and damage it.

 

However, the eustachian tube is so small, and open so infrequently, that you'd be dead of whatever toxin it was long before you felt any damage to the ear.

In theory, toxins or damaging chemicals could make their way into the middle ear and damage it.

 

However, the eustachian tube is so small, and open so infrequently, that you'd be dead of whatever toxin it was long before you felt any damage to the ear.

Indeed, what types of cancers in the ear are there? Of course lung cancer or oesophageal cancer, however it would make sense that it would effect ear cancer.

Wow... Talk about necromancy -- I don't even remember why I even asked this question...

While I doubt that you could attain infection via the eustachian tube, however, I have heard of cases in which an infection in the middle ear, was able to spread as far as the mastoid, due to the sinal connections between the two.