Assessing Cookstove Emissions in Lagos (Nigeria) Using Low-Cost Sensors

Household air pollution (HAP) from traditional cookstoves remains a significant public health challenge in Lagos, Nigeria, particularly among vulnerable urban households. However, critical gaps persist, including inadequate longitudinal data on household exposure patterns. socioeconomic barriers, variability across kitchen / fuel types, and limited assessments of agespecific respiratory risks, limits adopting cleaner cookstoves. Therefore, this study employed low-cost sensors across 33 households in the Ijaiye and Ahmadiya district of Lagos, Nigeria to monitor particulate matter (PM1, PM2.5) and gaseous pollutants (CO, CO2, NO2, SO2) during cooking events. Additionally, 55 socioeconomic surveys were conducted to identify factors hindering the adoption of sustainable cookstoves. The data were analyzed using MATLAB and statistical tools, followed by Multi-Path Particle Deposition (MPPD) modeling to assess respiratory deposition across children, teenagers, and adults. The results present an unexpectedinsight: LPG is not free from emissions, and no significant differences were observed among LPG, firewood, and charcoal. This challenges common assumptions and offers a unique sensorbased perspective, raising important questions about fuel sustainability and energy equity. Moreover, there was no significant difference in PM2.5 deposition rates among adults, children, and teenagers, indicating similar respiratory exposure risks. Additionally, socioeconomic analysis found occupation and financial constraints were not significant barriers to cookstove adoption, suggesting other factors beyond traditional constraints more strongly influence sustainable cookstove usage in the studied communities. These findings provide evidence for implementing targeted policies promoting affordable and cleaner cooking technologies and improved air quality in urban households, bridging the gap between HAP research and public health policy.