Updated

Mongabay reported on November 10, 2026 that Kenya's fitness boom, centered on gym-goers in Nairobi's Westlands neighborhood, runs on activewear whose fabric chemicals have gone largely unexamined. The report describes a boom powered by running clubs such as We Run Nairobi, fitness challenges on TikTok and Instagram, and brands including Genio Active and Waka Women Sports, where a two-piece set costs about 7,500 shillings ($60) at Genio. Mongabay said many activewear fabrics may contain PFAS, water-repellent chemicals that barely break down, and that heat, friction and sweat can speed how much a chemical the skin absorbs. The excerpt gives no test results on Kenyan fabrics, and it says the long-term health effects of routine exposure remain unclear. The article cites a Minderoo Foundation investigation earlier this year that found PFAS in much of the world's activewear. It also names the Nairobi River as one of Africa's PFAS hotspots in an 11-country study, notes that Kenya has signed the Stockholm Convention, and says enforcement across African signatories is weak. None of the contamination mapped in that study has been traced to a consumer product category, activewear included. In the United States, California and New York now bar sales of new textiles with intentionally added PFAS above set thresholds, while Colorado requires disclosure on outdoor-brand labels with a full ban scheduled for 2028.