California’s drying Salton Sea harms the lungs of people living nearby, say researchers | California

Chemical-laden dust from Southern California’s drying Salton Sea is likely damaging the lungs of people around the shrinking body of water, and the effects are especially pronounced in children. peer-reviewed research Demonstrations from the University of California at Irvine.

a separate peer-reviewed study Researchers from the University of California at Riverside also found that contaminated dust in the Salton Sea alters the lung microbiome, which may trigger lung problems reported around the lake.

Two new papers are part of a series of studies studies well explanatory the environmental And public health risks Dust from the drying Salton Sea, located about 60 miles (95 km) southeast of metropolitan Los Angeles. There is dust to create Traveling more than 100 miles (160 km) even though the prevailing winds were toward the southeast.

“The drying up of the Salton Sea is not only an environmental crisis, it is also a public health crisis,” Jill Johnston, one of the authors of the UC Irvine study, said in a statement. “Our study provides concrete evidence that children in surrounding communities face measurable damage to their lungs as a result of increased dust exposure.”

Similar problems have been reported at the Great Salt Lake in Utah and other drying salt lakes.

Advocates say new research around the Salton Sea reveals a unique public health risk from poorly regulated pesticide use on surrounding cropland, the climate crisis and poor water resource management.

The Colorado River, the main source of the 340-square-mile lake, is receding as it dries out due to ongoing drought and over-reliance on drinking or agricultural water. Large portions of the dried Salton Sea bed are now exposed and contaminated from pesticide chemicals and nutrients in fertilizers. The deposit is also full of naturally occurring dangerous heavy metals such as arsenic.

The health risk is greatest for mostly low-income and Latino citizens living near the lake. The UC Irvine study checked the lung capacity of 500 area children aged about 10 years old.

Researchers assessed lung size and strength by measuring how much air a person could inhale and how quickly they could release it. The study used state air quality data to estimate exposure to particulate matter in the lake.

Tests showed a “clear relationship” between poor lung function and the distance people live from the lake. The authors wrote that wheezing and other respiratory ailments were observed in those living near the lake. They likened these effects to the “dust bowl pneumonia” of the 1930s, when widespread exposure to dust caused serious and often fatal respiratory illnesses.

The UC Riverside study examined the impact of Salton Sea dust on the lungs of mice and was able to measure changes in the lung microbiome using new technology. The exposure appeared to spark nonallergic asthma that could not be controlled with conventional inhalers. Emma Aronson, co-author of the UC Riverside study, said the symptoms were similar to those reported by people living around the lake.

The research marks the first time pollutants have been discovered to alter the lung microbiome (or the bacteria that live in the lungs), and it’s little understood by health researchers. The findings could shed light on how air pollution damages the lung system more broadly, Aronson said.

“I’m still trying to understand the implications because there may be many environmental exposures around the world that change or potentially rewrite our lung microbiome, but we don’t understand the impact yet, so all we can say right now is that it’s concerning,” Aronson said.

Researchers suspect they have identified the source of the problem. Salton Sea dust contains high levels of a fragment of the bacterial membrane that is a highly potent endotoxin. Aronson said nutrients in the sea likely caused bacteria trapped behind the membranes to proliferate.

Aronson added that a task force that advises policymakers on Salton Sea issues advocates establishing wetlands that remove nutrients from the water, which could significantly reduce the problem. Experts also recommend those living around the lake to wear masks whenever possible, and those living nearby to use air filtration systems.