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.

Paraguay's Itapúa Air Pollution Report

Overview

Air Pollution in Itapúa

Itapúa faces significant air pollution challenges. 100% of districts exceed the WHO guideline for clean air. This is putting 633 thousand across 29 districts at risk.

The average PM2.5 over 2023 was 14µg/m³. That's 2.8 times the WHO guideline for clean air of 5µg/m³.

This is equivalent of everybody, including children, smoking about 232 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 Itapúa met the WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³, the average person would live 0.87 years longer.

That's 551K years of life stolen from 633 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 Itapúa. These areas face the greatest health burden from air pollution.

1.Carmen del Paraná
1 years lost
2.Encarnación
0.9 years lost
3.San Juan del Paraná
0.9 years lost
4.Mayor Julio D. Otaño
0.9 years lost
5.José Leandro Oviedo
0.9 years lost
6.San Cosme y Damián
0.9 years lost
7.General Delgado
0.9 years lost
8.Carlos Antonio López
0.9 years lost
9.General Artigas
0.9 years lost
10.Cambyreta
0.9 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

10-15 µg/m³

98.5%

624K

15-25 µg/m³

1.5%

25-35 µg/m³

> 35 µg/m³

Districts

All 29 Districts in Itapúa

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

District	Population	PM2.5 µg/m³	Years Lost
Encarnación	134K	14.7	0.9 years
Cambyreta	72K	14.0	0.9 years
San Pedro del Paraná	33K	14.0	0.9 years
Tomás Romero Pereira	31K	13.5	0.8 years
Alto Verá	30K	13.9	0.9 years
San Rafael del Paraná	26K	14.0	0.9 years
Capitán Meza	24K	13.7	0.8 years
Edelira	24K	13.6	0.8 years
Coronel Bogado	22K	13.8	0.9 years
Obligado	22K	13.3	0.8 years
Natalio	20K	13.6	0.8 years
Carlos Antonio López	19K	14.1	0.9 years
Mayor Julio D. Otaño	16K	14.4	0.9 years
Yatytay	16K	13.2	0.8 years
Hohenau	16K	13.3	0.8 years
Bella Vista	15K	13.7	0.9 years
Capitán Miranda	14K	13.1	0.8 years
General Artigas	13K	14.1	0.9 years
Trinidad	11K	13.2	0.8 years
Fram	11K	13.0	0.8 years
San Juan del Paraná	9K	14.6	0.9 years
Carmen del Paraná	9K	15.3	1.0 years
Nueva Alborada	9K	13.6	0.8 years
San Cosme y Damián	8K	14.1	0.9 years
General Delgado	8K	14.1	0.9 years
Pirapó	8K	13.5	0.8 years
Jesús	6K	12.9	0.8 years
José Leandro Oviedo	5K	14.3	0.9 years
La Paz	3K	13.7	0.9 years

Showing 29 districts, sorted by population (largest first). PM2.5 values are for 2023. Years lost calculated against WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.

Breathing in Itapúa is Injurious to Health.