Knowledge of air pollution sources is crucial for air pollution mitigation and policy making. Due to multiple constraints, air quality monitoring is often limited in lower- and middle-income countries, where rapid urbanisation and industrialisation are causing the local population to be exposed to dangerous concentrations of pollutants. The use of low-cost sensor (LCS) networks offers a more affordable alternative and a stepping stone in monitoring and assessing the air quality where research-grade equipment is currently unavailable. The present study re-assesses a previously published dataset of particulate matter (PM) concentrations in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, for source identification using k-means clustering and triangulation of the sources. The method identified six clusters based on particle number concentration profiles, separating daytime and night-time conditions, as well as the periods when local or regional sources had the greatest effect on the local air quality. The highest concentrations of particulate matter in Ile-Ife were associated with stagnant conditions and at the sites closer to the industrial activities in the area, for which the PM concentrations were about 10 times higher than the daily average (mean ± standard deviation PM2.5 30.6 ± 40.7 µg m-3, and PM10 83.4 ± 259.2 µg m-3). The methodology also provides information on the circumstances when cleaner conditions occur, and these were found during the daytime with higher wind speeds from the southwest (SW), when PM concentrations were significantly lower than the average at all sites (PM2.5 11.5 ± 4.7 µg m-3, and PM10 37.2 ± 26.0 µg m-3), but still above the annual limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Additionally, the polluting effects of the urban background as well as from traffic were identified, and the atmospheric conditions which increased the importance of these sources were elucidated.
Air pollution remains a major environmental health concern in South Africa, particularly in the Highveld Priority Area (HPA), where multiple coal-fired power stations, heavy industry, and household solid fuel use contribute to sustained poor air quality. This review systematically assessed the peer-reviewed evidence on air pollution and health in the HPA to establish a baseline of research, identify gaps, and inform future policy and scientific priorities. Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched four bibliographic databases and key journals for English-language studies published up to October 2024. A total of 130 papers met the inclusion criteria: 98 focused on air quality only, 19 on health only, and 13 addressed both air quality and health outcomes. Air quality studies span more than four decades, documenting trends in criteria pollutants such as SO₂, NO₂, PM₁₀, PM₂.₅, and O₃, with recent analyses highlighting the HPA as one of the world’s NO₂ and O₃ hotspots. Health studies, mostly post-2014, primarily investigated respiratory outcomes, with a few extending to cardiovascular disease and congenital anomalies. Most relied on self-reported health data, while only one study used objective spirometry. Studies combining air quality and health data are few, methodologically limited, and largely unable to establish causal relationships. Nevertheless, evidence consistently suggests that HPA residents—especially children, adolescents, and the elderly—are at heightened risk of respiratory morbidity. The review highlights critical research gaps, including insufficient use of personal exposure monitoring, limited objective health assessments, and a narrow focus on respiratory outcomes. We recommend coordinated, large-scale, interdisciplinary studies leveraging the HPA as a natural laboratory to advance understanding of air pollution–health linkages. Strengthening ambient monitoring networks, integrating indoor and outdoor exposure data, and expanding research beyond respiratory effects are essential to guide effective interventions and uphold the constitutional right to a healthy environment in South Africa.
In December 2025, Development in the Anthropocene: The tough task of working towards planetary well-being with low-income households became available electronically on the UJ Press platform. It is now in print. Although the book has a South African setting, the peer-reviewed scholarly chapters carry insights that are applicable to other jurisdictions. The point of the relevant chapters is clean air for low-income households.
This study investigates how quality of life (QoL) indicators can be integrated into South Africa’s air quality management system to support a just transition. Drawing on a grounded, context-specific QoL framework developed through South African policy analysis and community-based research, the study maps social indicators across five capital domains: economic, human, social, natural, and political. A qualitative synthesis of global literature reveals a geographic bias toward global North contexts, underscoring the need for locally relevant approaches. By aligning QoL indicators with existing governance instruments, the research identifies gaps in participatory and equity-focused mechanisms. It proposes a multidimensional framework for more inclusive, measurable, and socially responsive air quality governance. The findings position this study as a critical contribution to context-sensitive environmental planning and just transition discourse in the global South.
