Can dry air cause a lung to collapse?

Probably not: If by lung collapse you mean a pneumothorax, or air around the lung in the chest cavity, that is usually due to a genetic predisposition, smoking, trauma or sometimes vigorous exercise, to name a few. Another type of lung collapse involves thick mucus that blocks air entry to the rest of the lung, but that only happens in very debilitated patients with advanced lung disease.

Not likely: Non-trauma, spontaneous pneumothorax occur as a result of an abnormality in the lung tissue. Risk factors for primary and secondary spontaneous pneumothorax (sp) include: smoking (including marijuana), tall thin stature in otherwise healthy, connective tissue disorders, pregnancy, familial history. Dry air is not generally a risk factor.