Dear Friend,
Anyone can get bronchitis--you definitely don't have to have been a smoker or even been around lung irritants. You can get more info about bronchitis by checking out http://nationaljewish.org/medfacts/uri.html
which explains colds and bronchitis.
Smokers sometimes get chronic bronchitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Aloha,
Starion
Acute bronchitis is an irritation of the airways in the lungs. It is usually caused by a bacterial or viral infection. Symptoms generally include cough with mucus, chest discomfort, fever and extreme tiredness.
Chronic bronchitis is a cough with mucus that lasts for at least 3 months in a row 2 years in a row. Most instances of chronic bronchitis are due to cigarette smoking. For people with a family history of emphysema, they may get bronchitis from repeated exposure to high air pollution or from work exposures. People with sinus problems or post-nasal drip may have a cough with mucus that can act like that seen with chronic bronchitis.