Frontiers in Global Women s Health · Published 2026-07-30 · DOI 10.3389/fgwh.2026.1843221
Liberty Makacha, Yiqun Han, P. Tatenda Makanga, Cathryn Tonne, Marie-Laure Volvert, Hawanatu Jah, Yahaya Idris, Esperança Sevene, Moses Mukhanya, Angela Koech, Onesmus Wanje, Anifa Valá, Hannah Blencowe, Umberto d’Alessandro, Marleen Temmerman, Anna Roca, Jeffrey N. Bone, Laura A. Magee, Peter von Dadelszen, Ben Barratt, the PRECISE and PRECISE-DYAD Networks
BackgroundPersonal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in sub-Saharan Africa remains poorly characterised, obscuring the roles of structural inequities, seasonality, and mobility in shaping dose.MethodsWe undertook 5day per season personal PM2.5 monitoring among 343 parous women in The Gambia, Kenya, and Mozambique, spanning dry and wet seasons. Minute-resolved personal concentrations were aligned with microenvironment, fuel use, occupation, wealth, and meteorology within an integrated exposure assessment framework incorporating microenvironment classification and structural determinants; ambient PM2.5 was measured at nearby health facilities.ResultsAcross 3,190 person-days, daily median PM2.5 was 10.4 (7.6–14.7) μg/m3 in The Gambia, 8.1 (6.8–9.8) μg/m3 in Kenya, and 10.9 (9.3–13.5) μg/m3 in Mozambique. Episodic spikes were prominent. WHO 24-h health guideline exceedances were strongly seasonal and site-specific (The Gambia: 55.9% dry vs. 13.6% wet; Kenya: 8.9% vs. 3.7%; Mozambique: 20.9% vs. 28.6%). Exposures were higher away from home, with mid-day peaks (≈12:00–16:00). At home, biomass/coal users had higher medians than LPG/electricity users. Structural gradients were evident, including population density, occupation, and wealth gradients. Ambient–personal concordance was heterogeneous and context-dependent (R2 0.01–0.56; slopes <1).ConclusionPersonal PM2.5 exposure among pregnant women in these three African settings was shaped by season, mobility, household energy, and structural disadvantage. Household clean-fuel transitions remain essential but are unlikely to fully reduce exposure unless complemented by interventions targeting transport corridors, markets, peri-domestic combustion, and other away-from-home exposure environments.
Abstract from DOAJ. Public domain (CC0 1.0).
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Makacha, L., Han, Y., Makanga, P., et al. (2026). Unequal exposure: spatio-temporal and structural determinants of personal PM2.5 exposure in three sub-Saharan African geographies—the Gambia, Kenya, and Mozambique. Frontiers in Global Women s Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgwh.2026.1843221