Breathing in El Oro is Injurious to Health.

Air pollution threatens the health of 742 thousand people across 14 districts in El Oro. The average PM2.5 level is 20.3 µg/m³—4.1Ɨ higher than the WHO guideline.

Brought to you by Amrit Sharma

Air Pollution in El Oro

El Oro faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 742 thousand across 14 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 20.3µg/m³. That's 4.1 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 337 cigarettes in a year.

Air Quality Trend

Annual PM2.5 levels from 2014 to 2023. The WHO guideline for safe air is 5 µg/m³.

Life Expectancy Impact

If El Oro met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 1.52 years longer.

That's 1.1M years of life stolen from 742 thousand people. Years of watching children grow up. Years of building a career. Years of quiet mornings and celebrations.

Lives cut short. Breathing kills.

Districts with Highest Pollution

The top 10 most polluted districts in El Oro. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

  • 1.Machala
    1.6 years lost
  • 2.Santa Rosa
    1.6 years lost
  • 3.Arenillas
    1.5 years lost
  • 4.El Guabo
    1.5 years lost
  • 5.Huaquillas
    1.5 years lost
  • 6.Pasaje
    1.4 years lost
  • 7.Las Lajas
    1.4 years lost
  • 8.MarcabelĆ­
    1.4 years lost
  • 9.PiƱas
    1.4 years lost
  • 10.Balsas
    1.3 years lost

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
0%
0
5-10 µg/m³
0%
0
10-15 µg/m³
0%
0
15-25 µg/m³
100%
742K
25-35 µg/m³
0%
0
> 35 µg/m³
0%
0

All 14 Districts in El Oro

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

DistrictPopulationPM2.5 µg/m³Years Lost
Machala304K
21.0
1.6 years
Pasaje91K
19.5
1.4 years
Santa Rosa84K
20.9
1.6 years
El Guabo62K
20.5
1.5 years
Huaquillas62K
20.1
1.5 years
Arenillas34K
20.6
1.5 years
PiƱas32K
18.8
1.4 years
Zaruma30K
18.0
1.3 years
Portovelo12K
18.4
1.3 years
Balsas9K
18.6
1.3 years
Atahualpa7K
18.6
1.3 years
MarcabelĆ­7K
18.9
1.4 years
Las Lajas5K
19.0
1.4 years
Chilla3K
17.4
1.2 years

Showing 14 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.