A recent USC study highlights alarming health risks for children living near California's shrinking Salton Sea, underscoring urgent environmental concerns as the region attracts new industrial developments. Asthma rates in local children have surged, with 24% affected, compared to the national averages of 8.4% for boys and 5.5% for girls.
The Salton Sea, a 350-square-mile, land-locked lake located 150 miles southeast of Los Angeles, is shrinking due to water conservation efforts, climate change, and the reduction of agricultural runoff. Historically sustained by irrigation from surrounding farmlands, the lake has been drying up over the last two decades, leading to the exposure of approximately 16,000 acres of dry lakebed, known as playa. This exposed lakebed is now a significant source of wind-blown dust, which contains harmful pollutants like sulfates, chlorides, pesticides, and toxic metals such as arsenic, lead, and chromium.
This growing dust problem is a severe health threat to nearby communities, especially in the predominantly low-income, Latino/Hispanic populations of the Imperial Valley. These residents already face significant socio-economic challenges, including a 20% unemployment rate and high levels of poverty, with one in three children living in poverty. The situation becomes more critical with the region's poor air quality, as the Imperial Valley has historically failed to meet federal standards for particulate matter less than 10 micrometers (PM10).
Recent economic developments, such as proposed lithium mining operations, offer potential financial growth but could worsen the public health situation. Increased industrial activity and truck traffic risk disturbing more of the toxic dust, leading to even higher concentrations of particulate matter in the air.
Research conducted between 2017 and 2019 involving 722 children from local schools reveals a direct correlation between proximity to the Salton Sea and respiratory health issues. Children living within seven miles of the lake experience significantly higher rates of asthma and other respiratory problems. USC researchers found that wind-blown dust events, which occur when dust concentrations exceed 150 micrograms per cubic meter, are closely linked to increased cases of wheezing, bronchitis, and sleep disturbances.
Particulate matter (PM) from these events includes dangerous fine particles (PM2.5) that can penetrate deep into the lungs. Even small increases in PM2.5 levels have been shown to cause a 3% rise in respiratory symptoms like wheezing and bronchitis. Children, especially those with asthma or developing lungs, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution, which can lead to long-term health complications.
The prevalence of pediatric asthma is rising nationwide, and the Salton Sea region reflects a disturbing trend of widening racial, ethnic, and economic disparities in health outcomes. Previous studies found asthma rates among middle school students in the Imperial Valley to be as high as 20%, nearly double the state average of 12.3%. Additionally, many children without asthma still suffer from respiratory symptoms, suggesting that the air quality in the region poses a risk to all residents, regardless of preexisting health conditions.