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.

Russia's Bryansk Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Bryansk

Bryansk faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 1.2 million across 31 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 9.8µg/m³. That's 2.0 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 163 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 Bryansk met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.46 years longer.

That's 540K years of life stolen from 1.2 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 Bryansk. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Bryansk
0.5 years lost
2.Navlinskiy rayon
0.5 years lost
3.Dyat'kovskiy rayon
0.5 years lost
4.Bryanskiy rayon
0.5 years lost
5.Dyat'kovo
0.5 years lost
6.Zhukovskiy rayon
0.5 years lost
7.Karachevskiy rayon
0.5 years lost
8.Brasovskiy rayon
0.5 years lost
9.Vygonichskiy rayon
0.5 years lost
10.Suzemskiy rayon
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

69%

810K

10-15 µg/m³

31%

364K

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 31 Districts in Bryansk

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Bryansk	271K	10.2	0.5 years
Bryanskiy rayon	199K	10.0	0.5 years
Klintsovskiy rayon	80K	9.3	0.4 years
Dyat'kovskiy rayon	67K	10.0	0.5 years
Novozybkovskiy rayon	47K	9.4	0.4 years
Unechskiy rayon	40K	9.5	0.4 years
Pochepskiy rayon	40K	9.4	0.4 years
Trubchevskiy rayon	38K	9.6	0.4 years
Starodubskiy rayon	38K	9.3	0.4 years
Zhukovskiy rayon	33K	9.9	0.5 years
Karachevskiy rayon	32K	9.9	0.5 years
Klimovskiy rayon	30K	9.4	0.4 years
Navlinskiy rayon	26K	10.1	0.5 years
Pogarskiy rayon	26K	9.4	0.4 years
Surazhskiy rayon	22K	9.2	0.4 years
Brasovskiy rayon	19K	9.8	0.5 years
Vygonichskiy rayon	19K	9.8	0.5 years
Kletnyanskiy rayon	19K	9.6	0.4 years
Dubrovskiy rayon	18K	9.4	0.4 years
Komarichskiy rayon	16K	9.7	0.5 years
Mglinskiy rayon	16K	9.4	0.4 years
Sevskiy rayon	15K	9.8	0.5 years
Krasnogorskiy rayon	15K	9.4	0.4 years
Suzemskiy rayon	15K	9.8	0.5 years
Zlynkovskiy rayon	11K	9.4	0.4 years
Gordeevskiy rayon	8K	9.2	0.4 years
Rognedinskiy rayon	6K	9.6	0.4 years
Zhiryatinskiy rayon	5K	9.6	0.5 years
Klintsy	2K	9.4	0.4 years
Dyat'kovo	791	9.9	0.5 years
Novozybkov	178	9.4	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 Bryansk is Injurious to Health.