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 Kostroma Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Kostroma

Kostroma faces significant air pollution challenges. 97% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 624 thousand across 31 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 7.6µg/m³. That's 1.5 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 126 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 Kostroma met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.26 years longer.

That's 162K years of life stolen from 624 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 Kostroma. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Nerekhta
0.3 years lost
2.Nerekhtskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
3.Kostroma
0.3 years lost
4.Krasnosel'skiy rayon
0.3 years lost
5.Kostromskoy rayon
0.3 years lost
6.Sudislavskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
7.Susaninskiy rayon
0.2 years lost
8.Buy
0.2 years lost
9.Buyskiy rayon
0.2 years lost
10.Makar'evskiy rayon
0.2 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

100%

624K

10-15 µg/m³

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 31 Districts in Kostroma

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Kostroma	153K	8.0	0.3 years
Kostromskoy rayon	136K	8.0	0.3 years
Shar'inskiy rayon	46K	6.8	0.2 years
Krasnosel'skiy rayon	39K	8.0	0.3 years
Buyskiy rayon	34K	7.3	0.2 years
Nerekhtskiy rayon	28K	8.4	0.3 years
Galichskiy rayon	24K	7.2	0.2 years
Manturovskiy rayon	20K	6.8	0.2 years
Makar'evskiy rayon	14K	7.3	0.2 years
Neyskiy rayon	13K	7.2	0.2 years
Sudislavskiy rayon	13K	7.6	0.3 years
Ostrovskiy rayon	12K	7.2	0.2 years
Chukhlomskiy rayon	11K	6.9	0.2 years
Vokhomskiy rayon	10K	6.5	0.1 years
Soligalichskiy rayon	9K	6.9	0.2 years
Susaninskiy rayon	7K	7.4	0.2 years
Antropovskiy rayon	7K	7.2	0.2 years
Kadyyskiy rayon	7K	6.9	0.2 years
Kologrivskiy rayon	6K	6.7	0.2 years
Ponazyrevskiy rayon	6K	6.8	0.2 years
Parfen'evskiy rayon	6K	7.2	0.2 years
Pyshchugskiy rayon	5K	6.5	0.2 years
Pavinskiy rayon	5K	6.5	0.1 years
Mezhevskiy rayon	4K	6.7	0.2 years
Oktyabr'skiy	4K	6.6	0.2 years
Nerekhta	1K	8.5	0.3 years
Buy	1K	7.3	0.2 years
Manturovo	541	6.8	0.2 years
Neya	22	7.2	0.2 years
Shar'ya	10	6.8	0.2 years
Galich	0	0.0	0.0 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 Kostroma is Injurious to Health.