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.

Poland's Mazowieckie Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Mazowieckie

Mazowieckie faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 5.7 million across 42 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 12.1µg/m³. That's 2.4 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 201 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 Mazowieckie met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.68 years longer.

That's 3.9M years of life stolen from 5.7 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 Mazowieckie. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Przysucha
0.9 years lost
2.Radom (City)
0.8 years lost
3.Szydłowiec
0.8 years lost
4.Białobrzegi
0.8 years lost
5.Radom
0.8 years lost
6.Żyrardów
0.7 years lost
7.Kozienice
0.7 years lost
8.Grójec
0.7 years lost
9.Lipsko
0.7 years lost
10.Warszawa
0.7 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

10-15 µg/m³

100%

5.7M

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 42 Districts in Mazowieckie

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Warszawa	1.9M	12.4	0.7 years
Wołomin	278K	11.2	0.6 years
Piaseczno	215K	12.2	0.7 years
Radom (City)	208K	13.1	0.8 years
Pruszków	183K	12.3	0.7 years
Mińsk	164K	11.5	0.6 years
Radom	157K	12.7	0.8 years
Warszaw Zachodni	135K	12.1	0.7 years
Legionowo	132K	11.5	0.6 years
Otwock	131K	12.0	0.7 years
Płock (City)	118K	12.3	0.7 years
Płock	114K	12.0	0.7 years
Garwolin	110K	11.9	0.7 years
Grodzisk Mazowiecki	105K	11.9	0.7 years
Grójec	101K	12.4	0.7 years
Ostrołęka	90K	10.5	0.5 years
Ciechanów	90K	11.4	0.6 years
Płońsk	88K	11.6	0.6 years
Sochaczew	87K	12.4	0.7 years
Siedlce	83K	11.6	0.6 years
Nowy Dwór Mazowiecki	83K	11.7	0.7 years
Siedlce (City)	79K	11.8	0.7 years
Żyrardów	79K	12.5	0.7 years
Wyszków	76K	11.4	0.6 years
Mława	73K	11.0	0.6 years
Ostrów Mazowiecka	72K	11.0	0.6 years
Węgrów	65K	11.2	0.6 years
Kozienice	60K	12.5	0.7 years
Sokołów	53K	11.4	0.6 years
Pułtusk	52K	11.5	0.6 years
Przasnysz	52K	10.9	0.6 years
Ostrołęka (City)	51K	10.9	0.6 years
Sierpc	51K	11.3	0.6 years
Gostynin	45K	12.2	0.7 years
Maków	44K	11.1	0.6 years
Przysucha	41K	13.9	0.9 years
Szydłowiec	40K	12.9	0.8 years
Żuromin	38K	10.9	0.6 years
Zwoleń	36K	12.3	0.7 years
Białobrzegi	34K	12.9	0.8 years
Lipsko	34K	12.4	0.7 years
Łosice	31K	11.6	0.6 years

Showing 42 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Mazowieckie is Injurious to Health.