Air Pollution vs Smoking

Breathing dirty air is as bad for your health as smoking cigarettes

Fine particle air pollution (PM2.5) carries a measurable health risk.

The science behind the cigarette comparison

The comparison between fine particle air pollution (PM2.5) and cigarettes is not about what is being inhaled.

It is about relative health risk.

Large population studies have shown a consistent relationship between long-term PM2.5 exposure and increased risk of premature death, similar in scale to the increased risk observed from smoking.

To make this invisible risk easier to understand, researchers translated PM2.5 concentrations into a cigarette-equivalent health impact.

Source: Berkeley Earth

At an annual average:

22 µg/m³ of PM2.5 ≈ the health risk of smoking 1 cigarette per day

What this means for cities

Applying the cigarette-equivalent framework to real-world air quality data helps translate abstract pollution numbers into something easier to grasp. When we look at annual average PM2.5 levels across major cities, we begin to see how everyday exposure can quietly add up over time.

What about your city?

Air quality varies significantly by region. You can check the annual average PM2.5 levels for your city by clicking the link below. Once you know your city's annual average PM2.5 level, enter it below to understand the equivalent of yearly health risk

Find your exposure

Exposure increases risk of:

Long-term PM2.5 exposure has been associated with increased risk of several chronic health conditions. These effects develop gradually, reflecting cumulative stress on the body rather than sudden illness.

Asthma

Stroke

Lung

Cancer

Dementia

Heart

Disease