California’s Lithium-Rich Salton Sea Linked to High Rates of Childhood Respiratory Problems
Author: University of Southern California
Published: 2024/11/02
Post type: Observational study – Peer Reviewed: Yeah
Issue: Disability and Climate Change (Publications Database)
Page content: Synopsis Introduction Main article
Synopsis: A study reveals that windblown dust from the shrinking Salton Sea damages the respiratory health of children living nearby, causing asthma, coughing, wheezing and sleep disturbances.
Why it is important: This article is important as it highlights a critical environmental health issue affecting children in the Salton Sea area. Research by USC reveals that windblown dust from the shrinking lake is causing serious respiratory problems among local children, with asthma rates nearly three times higher than the national average. The study’s findings are particularly valuable because they establish a clear link between proximity to the sea and greater health risks, demonstrating that children who live closer to the receding coast experience more serious health impacts. This information is crucial for policymakers and health officials to develop targeted interventions and mitigation strategies. Additionally, the article sheds light on the complex interplay between water conservation efforts, climate change and public health, underscoring the need for a holistic approach to environmental management that considers the long-term health consequences of communities. vulnerable. Disabled world.
Introduction
Windblown dust from the shrinking Salton Sea harms the respiratory health of children who live nearby, causing asthma, coughing, wheezing and sleep disturbances, USC research shows. The findings also indicate that children who live closer to the sea, who are exposed to more airborne dust, may be the most affected.
Main article
The study, published in Environmental researchfound that 24% of children in the area have asthma, which is much higher than the national rate of 8.4% for boys and 5.5% for girls. The abnormally high rate raises health experts’ concerns about the health of children in this predominantly low-income community of color 150 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
Additionally, experts say, the dust problem is likely to intensify in a warmer climate, with evaporation exposing more and more of the lake or beach bed, leading to more dust events.
Ironically, successful water conservation efforts are exacerbating the problem. As state conservationists reduce agricultural runoff into the Salton Sea, the lake is slowly disappearing. A combination of lithium development and mining may promise more economic opportunities, and an increase in truck traffic will likely stir up more dust and further exacerbate respiratory health problems.
“These rural environmental justice communities face health consequences due to local dust events,” said first author Jill Johnston, associate professor of environmental health at USC. “The agricultural industry in the Imperial Valley has used excessive amounts of water, but one of the impacts of water conservation is sea shrinkage.”
The Salton Sea was created by accident in 1905 by a breach in the canal system. Until recently, the sea was largely supported by irrigation runoff from adjacent agricultural land. However, in the last two decades, declining water flow has exposed 16,000 new acres of beach and plenty of dust. Saline lake beds often contain various harmful particles: sulfate, chloride, pesticides, and toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, and chromium.
To better understand the relationship between airborne dust and respiratory health, researchers recruited 722 school-aged children from the predominantly Latino/Hispanic community between 2017 and 2019. Parents and guardians completed a 64-item survey about history of their children’s health in the previous 12 months. , including asthma episodes, daily cough for three months in a row, congestion or excess phlegm for three months in a row.
The researchers then used data from a network of regulatory air monitors to estimate exposure to “dust events” in which hourly dust concentrations exceeded 150 micrograms per cubic meter. The monitors measure levels of particles in the air, including PM2.5 particles (typically from traffic and combustion) and larger PM10 particles (typically dust and dirt).
The researchers also calculated the distance from the boy’s home and the edge of the Salton Sea. Participants who lived within 7 miles of the sea were considered “close” for the analysis.
The research showed that dust events had a greater impact on wheezing and sleep disorders among children who lived closer to the sea. Additionally, each deviation increase from the annual average of PM2.5 resulted in a 3.4 and 3.1 percentage point increase in wheezing and bronchitis symptoms, respectively.
“The community has long suspected that air pollution near the sea may be affecting children’s health,” Johnston said, “but this is the first scientific study to suggest that children living near the coast are declining. may experience more severe direct health impacts. Health must be integrated into mitigation plans.”
Study authors
In addition to Johnston, other authors included Shohreh Farzan, Elizabeth Kamai, Dayane Dueñas Barahona and Sandrah Eckel, all of USC; Christopher Zuidema and Edmund Seto of the University of Washington; and Luis Olmedo, Esther Bejarano and Christian Torres of the Valle Civic Committee, a community organization in the Imperial Valley.
Finance
This work was supported in part by grants R01ES029598 and 5P30ES007048-21S1 from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
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Attribution/Source(s):
This peer-reviewed publication was selected for publication by the editors of Disabled World due to its important relevance to the disability community. Originally written by University of Southern Californiaand published on 11/02/2024, content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For more details or clarifications, University of Southern California He can be contacted at usc.edu. NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranty or endorsement related to this item.
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Cite this page (APA): University of Southern California. (2024, November 2). California’s lithium-rich Salton Sea is linked to high rates of childhood respiratory problems. Disabled world. Retrieved November 2, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/emergency/climate/salton-sea.php
Permanent link: California’s lithium-rich Salton Sea linked to high rates of childhood respiratory problems: Study reveals that windblown dust from the shrinking Salton Sea damages the respiratory health of children living nearby, causing asthma, coughing, wheezing and sleep disturbances.
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