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 Smolensk Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Smolensk

Smolensk faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 924 thousand across 32 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 9.2µg/m³. That's 1.8 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 153 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 Smolensk met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.4 years longer.

That's 369K years of life stolen from 924 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 Smolensk. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Desnogorsk
0.4 years lost
2.Shumyachskiy rayon
0.4 years lost
3.Roslavl'skiy rayon
0.4 years lost
4.Ershichskiy rayon
0.4 years lost
5.Roslavl'
0.4 years lost
6.Vyazemskiy rayon
0.4 years lost
7.Khislavichskiy rayon
0.4 years lost
8.Pochinkovskiy rayon
0.4 years lost
9.Vyaz'ma
0.4 years lost
10.Ugranskiy rayon
0.4 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%

924K

10-15 µg/m³

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 32 Districts in Smolensk

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Smolenskiy rayon	338K	9.2	0.4 years
Roslavl'skiy rayon	95K	9.4	0.4 years
Vyazemskiy rayon	70K	9.3	0.4 years
Safonovskiy rayon	57K	9.1	0.4 years
Yartsevskiy rayon	52K	9.0	0.4 years
Gagarinskiy rayon	34K	9.2	0.4 years
Pochinkovskiy rayon	30K	9.3	0.4 years
Dorogobuzhskiy rayon	27K	9.1	0.4 years
Rudnyanskiy rayon	24K	8.8	0.4 years
Dukhovshchinskiy rayon	16K	8.8	0.4 years
Sychevskiy rayon	15K	9.1	0.4 years
Demidovskiy rayon	13K	8.8	0.4 years
Krasninskiy rayon	12K	9.2	0.4 years
Glinkovskiy rayon	12K	9.1	0.4 years
Smolensk	12K	9.2	0.4 years
Kholm-Zhirkovskiy rayon	12K	9.0	0.4 years
Velizhskiy rayon	11K	8.7	0.4 years
Gagarin	10K	9.2	0.4 years
Novoduginskiy rayon	10K	9.2	0.4 years
Monastyrshchinskiy rayon	10K	9.1	0.4 years
Khislavichskiy rayon	10K	9.3	0.4 years
Kardymovskiy rayon	9K	9.0	0.4 years
Ugranskiy rayon	8K	9.3	0.4 years
Shumyachskiy rayon	8K	9.4	0.4 years
Ershichskiy rayon	7K	9.4	0.4 years
El'ninskiy rayon	7K	9.2	0.4 years
Temkinskiy rayon	6K	9.2	0.4 years
Roslavl'	2K	9.4	0.4 years
Vyaz'ma	2K	9.3	0.4 years
Safonovo	972	9.0	0.4 years
Yartsevo	536	9.1	0.4 years
Desnogorsk	207	9.5	0.4 years

Showing 32 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Smolensk is Injurious to Health.