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.

Philippines's Masbate Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Masbate

Masbate faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 854 thousand across 21 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 11.1µg/m³. That's 2.2 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 184 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 Masbate met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.59 years longer.

That's 504K years of life stolen from 854 thousand 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 Masbate. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Mandaon
0.7 years lost
2.Milagros
0.7 years lost
3.Balud
0.7 years lost
4.San Pascual
0.6 years lost
5.Aroroy
0.6 years lost
6.Masbate City
0.6 years lost
7.Mobo
0.6 years lost
8.Baleno
0.6 years lost
9.Claveria
0.6 years lost
10.Cawayan
0.6 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

2.8%

24K

10-15 µg/m³

97.2%

830K

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 21 Districts in Masbate

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Masbate City	90K	11.5	0.6 years
Aroroy	80K	11.5	0.6 years
Placer	66K	10.4	0.5 years
Cawayan	61K	11.1	0.6 years
Milagros	61K	12.1	0.7 years
Cataingan	51K	10.1	0.5 years
Uson	47K	10.8	0.6 years
San Pascual	42K	11.6	0.6 years
Mobo	41K	11.3	0.6 years
Mandaon	38K	12.2	0.7 years
Claveria	36K	11.2	0.6 years
Balud	35K	11.9	0.7 years
Baleno	33K	11.2	0.6 years
Palanas	30K	10.3	0.5 years
San Jacinto	26K	11.0	0.6 years
Dimasalang	25K	10.5	0.5 years
Pio V. Corpuz	24K	10.0	0.5 years
Monreal	21K	11.0	0.6 years
San Fernando	19K	10.9	0.6 years
Esperanza	15K	10.2	0.5 years
Batuan	14K	10.8	0.6 years

Showing 21 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Masbate is Injurious to Health.