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 Luhans'k Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Luhans'k

Luhans'k faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 622 thousand across 32 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 11.1µg/m³. That's 2.2 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 184 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 Luhans'k met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.61 years longer.

That's 380K years of life stolen from 622 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 Luhans'k. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Krasnoluts'ka
0.8 years lost
2.Pereval's'kyi
0.8 years lost
3.Alchevs'ka
0.8 years lost
4.Stakhanivs'ka
0.7 years lost
5.Luhans'ka
0.7 years lost
6.Kirovs'ka
0.7 years lost
7.Lutuhyns'kyi
0.7 years lost
8.Briankivs'ka
0.7 years lost
9.Slovianoserbs'kyi
0.7 years lost
10.Popasnians'kyi
0.7 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

17.6%

109K

10-15 µg/m³

82.4%

513K

15-25 µg/m³

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 32 Districts in Luhans'k

Complete air quality data for every district in Luhans'k, sorted by population.

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Luhans'ka	93K	12.1	0.7 years
Sieverodonets'ka	45K	11.2	0.6 years
Popasnians'kyi	41K	11.7	0.7 years
Lysychans'ka	32K	11.1	0.6 years
Pereval's'kyi	27K	12.8	0.8 years
Briankivs'ka	20K	11.8	0.7 years
Starobil's'kyi	20K	9.2	0.4 years
Rubezhans'ka	20K	10.9	0.6 years
Lutuhyns'kyi	19K	12.0	0.7 years
Milovs'kyi	18K	8.2	0.3 years
Stanychno-Luhans'kyi	18K	11.1	0.6 years
Kremins'kyi	18K	10.7	0.6 years
Antratsytivs'kyi	18K	11.7	0.7 years
Sverdlovs'ka	17K	10.7	0.6 years
Stakhanivs'ka	17K	12.6	0.7 years
Bilovods'kyi	16K	8.9	0.4 years
Krasnodons'kyi	15K	10.6	0.6 years
Slovianoserbs'kyi	15K	11.7	0.7 years
Alchevs'ka	15K	12.7	0.8 years
Antratsitivs'ka	14K	11.4	0.6 years
Krasnodons'ka	14K	10.5	0.5 years
Svativs'kyi	14K	9.4	0.4 years
Markivs'kyi	12K	8.3	0.3 years
Novopskovs'kyi	12K	8.6	0.3 years
Novoaidars'kyi	11K	10.2	0.5 years
Roven'kivs'ka	11K	11.1	0.6 years
Sverdlovs'kyi	11K	10.6	0.5 years
Krasnoluts'ka	10K	12.8	0.8 years
Bilokurakyns'kyi	8K	8.7	0.4 years
Tro‹ts'kyi	8K	8.6	0.4 years
Kirovs'ka	6K	12.0	0.7 years
n.a. ( 182)	5K	11.6	0.6 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 Luhans'k is Injurious to Health.