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.

Ukraine's Kherson Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Kherson

Kherson faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 603 thousand across 20 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 9.4µg/m³. That's 1.9 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 156 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 Kherson met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.41 years longer.

That's 247K years of life stolen from 603 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 Kherson. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Heniches'kyi
0.5 years lost
2.Verkhn'orohachyts'kyi
0.5 years lost
3.Velykolepetys'kyi
0.5 years lost
4.Novotro‹ts'kyi
0.5 years lost
5.Kalanchats'kyi
0.5 years lost
6.Nyzhn'osirohoz'kyi
0.5 years lost
7.Ivanivs'kyi
0.5 years lost
8.Chaplyns'kyi
0.4 years lost
9.Novovorontsovs'kyi
0.4 years lost
10.Khersons'ka
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

94.6%

570K

10-15 µg/m³

5.4%

33K

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 20 Districts in Kherson

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Khersons'ka	157K	9.5	0.4 years
Beryslavs'kyi	94K	9.5	0.4 years
Bilozers'kyi	85K	9.2	0.4 years
Holoprystans'kyi	34K	9.1	0.4 years
Tsiurupyns'kyi	32K	9.3	0.4 years
Heniches'kyi	27K	10.3	0.5 years
Skadovs'kyi	25K	9.2	0.4 years
Novotro‹ts'kyi	21K	9.8	0.5 years
Chaplyns'kyi	21K	9.6	0.4 years
Kakhovs'kyi	15K	9.3	0.4 years
Velykooleksandrivs'kyi	15K	8.5	0.3 years
Kalanchats'kyi	12K	9.7	0.5 years
Novovorontsovs'kyi	11K	9.5	0.4 years
Nyzhn'osirohoz'kyi	10K	9.7	0.5 years
Ivanivs'kyi	10K	9.6	0.5 years
Velykolepetys'kyi	9K	10.0	0.5 years
Vysokopil's'kyi	8K	8.6	0.4 years
Hornosta‹vs'kyi	7K	9.4	0.4 years
Verkhn'orohachyts'kyi	6K	10.1	0.5 years
Novokahovs'ka	6K	9.1	0.4 years

Showing 20 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Kherson is Injurious to Health.