Chemical dust from the south CaliforniaThe drying up of the Salton Sea is likely harming the lungs of people living around the shrinking body of water, and the effects are particularly pronounced in children, new scientists say. peer-reviewed studies from the University of California, Irvine.
Separate peer-reviewed study from the University of California, Riverside also found that contaminated dust from the Salton Sea appears to alter the lung microbiome, which may contribute to the lung problems reported around the lake.
Two new articles are part of a series research This revealing That environmental And public health risks dust from the drying Salton Sea, located about 60 miles (95 km) southeast of metropolitan Los Angeles. There was dust found travel more than 100 miles (160 km), although the prevailing winds are blowing to the southeast.
“The drying up of the Salton Sea is not only an environmental crisis, but also a public health crisis,” Jill Johnston, co-author of the UC Irvine study, said in a statement. “Our study provides concrete evidence that children in surrounding communities are experiencing measurable harm to their lungs as a result of increased dust exposure.”
There were similar problems reported around the Great Salt Lake in Utah and other drying salt lakes.
A new study of the Salton Sea highlights unique public health risks posed by poorly regulated pesticide use on surrounding croplands, the climate crisis and poor water management, advocates say.
The more than 340-square-mile lake is retreating as its main source, the Colorado River, dries up amid ongoing drought and over-reliance on drinking or agricultural water. Large areas of the Salton Sea's dry bed are now exposed and contaminated by pesticides and nutrients from fertilizers. The bed is also high in naturally occurring, dangerous heavy metals such as arsenic.
The health risks are greatest for low-income and Hispanic residents living near the lake. The UC Irvine study tested the lung capacity of 500 children aged about 10 living in the region.
The researchers assessed the size and strength of the lungs by determining how much air a person could exhale, as well as how quickly they could release it. The study used state air quality data to assess exposure to particulate matter from the lake.
Tests showed a “clear link” between worsening lung function and the distance people lived from the lake. The authors write that those who live closer to the lake experience shortness of breath and other respiratory problems. They compared the effects to “dust pneumonia” in the 1930s, when widespread exposure to dust led to severe and often fatal respiratory illnesses.
A UC Riverside study looked at the effects of Salton Sea dust on the lungs of mice and used new technology to measure changes in the lung microbiome. Exposure appears to have caused non-allergic asthma, which cannot be controlled with traditional inhalers. The symptoms are similar to those reported by people living around the lake, said Emma Aronson, co-author of the UC Riverside study.
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This study marks the first time that pollutants have been found to alter the lung microbiome (or bacteria living in the lungs), something little studied by health researchers. The findings could shed light on how air pollution damages the pulmonary system more broadly, Aronson said.
“I'm still trying to wrap my head around the implications because there may be many types of environmental exposures out there in the world that are changing or potentially rewriting our lung microbiome, but we don't understand their impact yet, so all we can say right now is that it's alarming,” Aronson said.
Researchers suspect they have identified the source of the problem. Salton Sea dust contains large amounts of pieces of bacterial membrane, which are highly potent endotoxins. Nutrients in the sea likely cause bacteria to grow and escape membranes, Aronson said.
A task force advising policymakers on Salton Sea issues advocates for the creation of wetlands that remove nutrients from the water, which could greatly reduce the problem, Aronson said. Experts also advise people living near the lake to wear masks as often as possible and for those living nearby to use air filtration systems.
