On many days of the year, South Africans breathe heavily polluted air that can be deadly.
Air pollution was linked to an estimated 42,000 deaths in South Africa in 2023 (CREA and Greenpeace Africa, 2025). Here’s what’s been reported.
Johannesburg · March 2026
The city smelled of rotten eggs. Again.
Hydrogen sulphide hit 36 ppb in Buccleuch and Alexandra — the second time this year. Not one building nearby had a record of what its people breathed.
36 ppb
hydrogen sulphide confirmed at city monitoring stations
Daily Maverick · 11 March 2026
2
separate episodes across Johannesburg in 2026 alone
City monitoring records
0
buildings able to say what their own occupants were exposed to
No indoor monitoring requirement exists in SA
The source · Still unnamed
Nobody could say where it came from. That is the problem.
The episodes were measured, never explained — and most South Africans live far from any monitoring station.
40%
of South Africans live more than 25 km from any air quality monitoring station
SA Department of Environment
2022
High Court ruled Highveld air violates the constitutional right to a healthy environment
Centre for Environmental Rights
The smell is the warning
Your nose gets used to it. Your body doesn’t.
After a while you stop noticing the smell. Your body keeps reacting: headaches, nausea, sore eyes.
~5 ppb
where most people start to smell H₂S. WHO odour guideline: 7 µg/m³ over 30 minutes
WHO Air Quality Guidelines for Europe, 2000
Days
of repeated smell episodes are linked to headaches, nausea and eye and throat irritation
US ATSDR · Toxicological Profile for Hydrogen Sulfide
Beyond Johannesburg
It is not one city, and it is not one bad week.
The Vaal has recorded the world’s highest PM2.5. All 13 Mpumalanga preschools tested were over the WHO limit.
54
deaths a day in Johannesburg attributed to outdoor air pollution
IQAir / Clean Air Fund · 2023
1.7m
people living beside the most polluted air measured on Earth, in the Vaal
Bloomberg / Daily Maverick · 2024
13/13
Mpumalanga preschools measured over the WHO threshold. Every one.
Public Health Challenges · peer-reviewed
Check my area. Be responsible. Know what you are breathing.
Live · updated daily
Pick your town. See today’s pollution level. Free.
This is the air outside. To know what you breathe inside, book an indoor Air Check. Terms.
Indoor Air Check.
We measure · you get the answers
The town score tells you about the air outside. Most of your day is spent indoors. We put monitors in your rooms and tell you exactly what you are breathing.
1Measure
Our monitors in your rooms, recording CO₂, fine dust, chemical fumes, temperature and humidity every minute.
14–30 days
2Report
What’s wrong, in which room, at what time, and whether it comes from inside or outside.
Plain language
3Fix
A fix list for your rooms: free changes first, then the equipment that solves the rest.
Only what you need
4Monitor
Keep the monitors and get a phone alert with clear steps whenever the air turns bad.
Month to month
Home Air CheckFor your house or flatSee sensors & price
R1,499
2 monitors · 14 days
Sensors: CO₂, fine dust (PM2.5), chemical fumes (VOCs), temperature, humidity
50% deposit to book, the rest when you get your report. Why CO₂ matters in clinics: in a South African study of health workers, the odds of TB infection rose about 1.8× for every 100 ppm more CO₂ in the air they breathed (Clinical Infectious Diseases, 2022).
Solution guides.
Free steps first · equipment if you need it
Pick the problem you have. Do the free steps today.
Stuffy air · high CO₂
Signs
Headaches, drowsy afternoons, waking up groggy, a “closed-in” smell.
Do it now, free
Open windows on opposite sides for 10 minutes every hour. Leave bedroom doors ajar at night.
Fix it for good
Fresh-air ventilation: window vents or an extractor fan. A purifier will not fix this.
Smoke & dust
Signs
Coughing at night, itchy eyes, dust on surfaces, a smoky smell from cooking or neighbours’ fires.
Do it now, free
Use the extractor when cooking. Close windows when outdoor smoke is heavy. Damp-dust instead of sweeping.
Fix it for good
A HEPA air purifier sized to the room, starting with the bedroom.
Rotten-egg smell days
Signs
A sulphur or rotten-egg smell outside, headaches, nausea, sore eyes.
Do it now, free
Close windows on the windy side, set the aircon to recirculate, avoid hard exercise outdoors until it passes.
Fix it for good
A purifier with a heavy activated-carbon filter. Normal filters let gases straight through.
Chemical smells
Signs
Strong smells after cleaning, painting or new furniture; stinging eyes or throat.
Do it now, free
Air the room for 10 minutes after cleaning. Use wipes instead of sprays. Store chemicals outside living areas.
Fix it for good
A carbon-filter purifier in the rooms that are cleaned most.
Damp & mould
Signs
Black spots on walls or ceilings, condensation on windows, a musty smell, worse allergies.
Do it now, free
Open windows after showers and cooking. Dry washing outside. Move furniture a little away from cold walls.
Fix it for good
A dehumidifier, plus ventilation so the damp doesn’t come back.
Not sure which it is?
That’s what the Air Check is for. Two weeks of readings tell you exactly which of these you have, in which room, and when.
