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 Yamaguchi Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Yamaguchi

Yamaguchi faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 1.3 million across 20 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 10.7µg/m³. That's 2.1 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 178 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 Yamaguchi met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.55 years longer.

That's 705K years of life stolen from 1.3 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 Yamaguchi. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Ube
0.7 years lost
2.Shimonoseki
0.6 years lost
3.San'yō-Onoda
0.6 years lost
4.Hōfu
0.6 years lost
5.Hikari
0.5 years lost
6.Kaminoseki
0.5 years lost
7.Yanai
0.5 years lost
8.Kudamatsu
0.5 years lost
9.Hirao
0.5 years lost
10.Shūnan
0.5 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

8.4%

107K

10-15 µg/m³

91.6%

1.2M

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 20 Districts in Yamaguchi

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Shimonoseki	238K	11.6	0.6 years
Yamaguchi	175K	10.1	0.5 years
Ube	161K	11.8	0.7 years
Shūnan	139K	10.2	0.5 years
Iwakuni	118K	10.1	0.5 years
Hōfu	111K	11.1	0.6 years
San'yō-Onoda	54K	11.4	0.6 years
Kudamatsu	49K	10.3	0.5 years
Hikari	46K	10.3	0.5 years
Hagi	41K	9.9	0.5 years
Yanai	30K	10.3	0.5 years
Nagato	28K	9.8	0.5 years
Mine	23K	9.4	0.4 years
Waki	17K	10.1	0.5 years
Tabuse	14K	10.2	0.5 years
Atō	12K	8.8	0.4 years
Suō-Ōshima	12K	10.1	0.5 years
Hirao	9K	10.2	0.5 years
Abu	3K	9.8	0.5 years
Kaminoseki	2K	10.3	0.5 years

Showing 20 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Yamaguchi is Injurious to Health.