Long-term exposure timeline
Estimate the air pollution comparison across the places you lived
Add each life stage with its years and annual average PM2.5. The timeline shows how every stage contributes without treating the result as cigarettes actually smoked or a medical diagnosis.
Build your location timeline
Enter representative annual-average PM2.5—not a daily peak—for each stage.
Timeline estimate
Years represented
22
Weighted annual PM2.5
18.4 µg/m³
Lifetime cigarette-equivalent estimate
≈ 6,703 cigarette-equivalents
Highest-contributing stage
Childhood home
Contribution by life stage
What shaped this estimate
Childhood home contributes the largest share because its annual concentration and time lived combine to the most concentration-years.
This estimate applies Berkeley Earth’s rough population-level health-impact equivalence for long-term PM2.5 and cigarette-smoking risks. It is not a direct particle-mass equivalence, cigarettes actually smoked, individual dose, personal risk prediction, or medical diagnosis.
How the long-term timeline works
- Use a representative annual-average PM2.5 value for each place and period, not a single bad day.
- Each stage is weighted by years to calculate the timeline’s average annual concentration.
- The cigarette-equivalent estimate applies Berkeley Earth’s rough population-level health-impact framing for long-term PM2.5 and smoking risks across 365 days per entered year.
- Historical monitoring gaps, indoor air and personal mobility make this an estimate—not a personal exposure reconstruction or medical prediction.
Air quality tools for the decision in front of you
Start with the number or question you already have. Every tool leads to a concrete calculation, comparison, or action plan instead of another generic article.
Daily air pollution exposure planner
Combine the places in your day into a time-weighted PM2.5 comparison.
Air purifier size calculator
Calculate smoke CADR, air changes per hour, and purifier count for a room.
Air purifier electricity cost calculator
Calculate electricity, filter, annual, and three-year costs for one or more air purifiers.
Trust Signals
How to interpret a long-term estimate
Review policy
August 8, 2026. We update supporting pages when calculator logic, live data behavior, or source framing changes.
Primary sources
AQI uses EPA / AirNow breakpoint logic. Cigarette-equivalent framing follows Berkeley Earth’s PM2.5 interpretation.
Live data layer
City pages use EPA AirNow where supported, with cached fallbacks and planning baselines if the API fails or coverage is unavailable.
Lifetime timeline questions
Where can I find annual PM2.5 averages?
Use official environmental agencies, WHO databases or peer-reviewed datasets. Match the location and time period as closely as the source allows.
Should I enter one wildfire season separately?
Only if you have a representative average for that period. A single daily peak should not stand in for an annual average.
Does the cigarette comparison mean I smoked?
No. It is a rough population-level health-impact equivalence, not a direct particle-mass equivalence, tobacco exposure, individual dose, personal risk prediction or diagnosis.