PM2.5 stands for particulate matter 2.5 microns or smaller. These particles are 30 times thinner than a human hair and come from car exhaust, power plants, wildfires, and burning fuel. They are small enough to bypass your body's natural defenses and enter your bloodstream.

How does air pollution affect the body?

Air pollution affects virtually every organ in the body. PM2.5 particles enter your lungs, pass into your bloodstream, and travel to your heart, brain, kidneys, liver, and other organs. This causes chronic inflammation, increasing risks of heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, dementia, and many other conditions.

How many people are affected by air pollution?

99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds WHO safety guidelines. Air pollution kills approximately 8 million people every year—more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

Japan's Tochigi Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Tochigi

Tochigi faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 1.9 million across 31 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 9.2µg/m³. That's 1.8 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 153 cigarettes in a year.

Trends

Air Quality Trend

Annual PM2.5 levels from 2014 to 2023. The WHO guideline for safe air is 5 µg/m³.

Health Impact

Life Expectancy Impact

If Tochigi met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.41 years longer.

That's 781K years of life stolen from 1.9 million people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.

Lives cut short. Breathing kills.

Most Polluted

Districts with Highest Pollution

The top 10 most polluted districts in Tochigi. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Ashikaga
0.5 years lost
2.Nogi
0.5 years lost
3.Fujioka
0.5 years lost
4.Oyama
0.5 years lost
5.Sano
0.5 years lost
6.Ōhira
0.5 years lost
7.Iwafune
0.5 years lost
8.Shimotsuke
0.5 years lost
9.Mibu
0.5 years lost
10.Tochigi
0.4 years lost

Exposure

Population Exposure by Pollution Level

Distribution of population across different PM2.5 pollution levels. The WHO guideline is 5 µg/m³—only populations below this threshold are breathing safe air.

< 5 µg/m³

5-10 µg/m³

90.2%

1.7M

10-15 µg/m³

9.8%

186K

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 31 Districts in Tochigi

Complete air quality data for every district in Tochigi, sorted by population.

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Utsunomiya	513K	9.4	0.4 years
Oyama	165K	9.9	0.5 years
Ashikaga	145K	10.4	0.5 years
Nasushiobara	113K	8.6	0.4 years
Sano	111K	9.8	0.5 years
Kanuma	95K	9.0	0.4 years
Tochigi	81K	9.6	0.4 years
Nikkō	76K	7.8	0.3 years
Otawara	68K	8.6	0.4 years
Shimotsuke	64K	9.7	0.5 years
Mōka	64K	8.5	0.3 years
Sakura	40K	8.7	0.4 years
Mibu	39K	9.6	0.5 years
Yaita	30K	8.8	0.4 years
Takanezawa	28K	8.5	0.3 years
Nasu	27K	7.6	0.3 years
Nogi	26K	10.1	0.5 years
Ōhira	26K	9.8	0.5 years
Nasukarasuyama	25K	7.2	0.2 years
Kaminokawa	25K	9.5	0.4 years
Mashiko	19K	7.0	0.2 years
Iwafune	19K	9.7	0.5 years
Ninomiya	16K	8.9	0.4 years
Haga	15K	8.0	0.3 years
Fujioka	15K	10.0	0.5 years
Nakagawa	14K	7.3	0.2 years
Tsuga	11K	9.4	0.4 years
Motegi	11K	6.2	0.1 years
Shioya	10K	8.3	0.3 years
Ichikai	10K	7.2	0.2 years
Nishikata	6K	9.2	0.4 years

Showing 31 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Tochigi is Injurious to Health.