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 Mariy-El Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Mariy-El

Mariy-El faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 653 thousand across 16 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 7.9µg/m³. That's 1.6 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 131 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 Mariy-El met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.29 years longer.

That's 189K years of life stolen from 653 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 Mariy-El. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Ioshkar-Ola
0.3 years lost
2.Volzhskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
3.Zvenigovskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
4.Medvedevskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
5.Yurinskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
6.Gornomariyskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
7.Morkinskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
8.Sovetskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
9.Kilemarskiy rayon
0.3 years lost
10.Koz'modem'yansk
0.3 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%

653K

10-15 µg/m³

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 16 Districts in Mariy-El

Complete air quality data for every district in Mariy-El, sorted by population.

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Medvedevskiy rayon	242K	7.9	0.3 years
Ioshkar-Ola	72K	8.1	0.3 years
Volzhskiy rayon	71K	8.1	0.3 years
Gornomariyskiy rayon	45K	7.8	0.3 years
Zvenigovskiy rayon	39K	8.0	0.3 years
Sovetskiy rayon	31K	7.7	0.3 years
Morkinskiy rayon	28K	7.7	0.3 years
Paran'ginskiy rayon	20K	7.3	0.2 years
Kuzhenerskiy rayon	19K	7.5	0.2 years
Novotor'yal'skiy rayon	18K	7.5	0.2 years
Sernurskiy rayon	18K	7.3	0.2 years
Mari-Turekskiy rayon	16K	7.4	0.2 years
Orshanskiy rayon	14K	7.6	0.3 years
Kilemarskiy rayon	13K	7.6	0.3 years
Yurinskiy rayon	8K	7.9	0.3 years
Koz'modem'yansk	7	7.6	0.3 years

Showing 16 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Mariy-El is Injurious to Health.