Cuddalore — Pollution Health Impact
319 days of CPCB data (2024–2024), translated through WHO 2021, Berkeley Earth and EPIC AQLI methods. Based on CPCB station data, 2016–present.
Tamil Nadu · Live Cuddalore AQI →
Living in Cuddalore is the population-level health-equivalent of smoking 1.5 cigarettes a day — roughly 554 cigarettes a year. On average, that chronic exposure shortens life expectancy by about 2.8 years per resident.
Cigarette-equivalence (Berkeley Earth 2015) and life-years lost (EPIC AQLI) are peer-reviewed communication heuristics, not clinical diagnoses. Full sources linked on the methodology page.
Headline impact numbers
Cigarettes/day by year
Annual average cigarette-equivalent.
Clean-air days (NAQI ≤ 50) by year
Days when NAQI stayed in the “Good” band.
Which WHO tier did Cuddalore meet?
24-hour PM2.5 compliance vs WHO 2021 targets.
- AQG46 days (14.4%)
- IT-488 days (27.6%)
- IT-374 days (23.2%)
- IT-252 days (16.3%)
- IT-148 days (15.0%)
- Above IT-111 days (3.4%)
WHO AQG (15) · IT-4 (25) · IT-3 (37.5) · IT-2 (50) · IT-1 (75) µg/m³ (24-hour PM2.5).
Life-years lost, by disease
Applying WHO's global attribution (68/14/14/4) to Cuddalore's 2.8 year estimate.
- Heart + stroke: 1.9y
- COPD: 0.4y
- Child ALRI: 0.4y
- Lung cancer: 0.1y
Worst and best months
Drill into full monthly pattern on the seasonal Cuddalore page →
High-risk days for vulnerable residents
- Days above WHO IT-3 (37.5 µg/m³) — pregnancy & infant risk elevated
- 111 (34.8%)
- Days above WHO IT-1 (75 µg/m³) — high risk for children under 5
- 11 (3.4%)
Source: WHO 2021 AQG interim-target risk framework; WHO 2024 ambient-air fact sheet identifies children under 5 and pregnant residents as the most vulnerable groups.
How Cuddalore compares to nearby cities
- Similar exposureNagapattinam1.6 cigs/day · 3.0 y lost · +0.1 vs Cuddalore
- Similar exposureKozhikode1.6 cigs/day · 2.9 y lost · +0.1 vs Cuddalore
- Cleaner peerShivamogga1.5 cigs/day · 2.8 y lost · -0.0 vs Cuddalore
- Dirtier peerKanchipuram1.5 cigs/day · 2.8 y lost · +0.0 vs Cuddalore
What the numbers say
Overview
Living in Cuddalore carries a daily PM2.5 dose that Berkeley Earth compares to 1.5 cigarettes a day. Over a year, residents absorb the equivalent of 554 cigarettes.
The data story
EPIC's AQLI research attributes about 2.8 life-years lost per person from this chronic exposure. The WHO Air Quality Guideline was met on just 46 of 319 days (14.4%); 11 days (3.4%) exceeded even the 75 µg/m³ Interim Target-1 threshold.
Why this pattern
The burden concentrates in December — when the average cigarette-equivalent climbs to 2.2/day — and eases in July (0.8/day). Globally, WHO attributes 68% of PM2.5 deaths to heart disease and stroke, with the remainder split across COPD, childhood ALRI, and lung cancer.
What to do with this
Cigarette-equivalence is a communication tool, not a medical verdict. Still, the direction is clear: time indoors with a HEPA unit and a good-fit mask outdoors during the 111 days (34.8%) above WHO IT-3 meaningfully lowers exposure — especially for pregnant residents and children under 5.