The Salton Sea and Children's Health: Assessing Imperial Valley Respiratory Health and the Environment

摘要 在整个美国西南部，以风吹尘埃形式出现的颗粒物（PM）正在成为一种污染物。 日益普遍的公共卫生问题。不断变化的天气模式，干旱和竞争 水的需求正在极大地改变景观，并创造有利于生产的条件， 风吹的沙尘和沙尘暴。在加州，这样的因素正在导致索尔顿河的迅速萎缩 海，一个350平方英里的内陆“海”，位于东南部农村边境地区附近， 帝王谷。一项区域水转移协议将加速该海的干涸，预计 大片的湖床将暴露在外，留下含有有毒物质的高辐射盐滩。 金属、杀虫剂和其他潜在有害污染物。因此，预计该区域将 经历了风吹尘埃急剧增加，现有的研究表明， 健康和生活质量的附近居民的这个主要是低收入，墨西哥裔美国人社区。 这项研究的总体目标是发展一个社区-学术伙伴关系，以确定健康影响 儿童暴露于风吹PM和通知在帝王谷的公共卫生行动。有一个 迫切需要了解不断缩小的海洋对呼吸和其他健康的影响，因为人们对 长期暴露于风吹PM是否与呼吸系统疾病或损伤的发展有关 随着时间的推移，特别是在弱势群体中。与学术和国家合作伙伴合作， 一个社区组织，瓦莱公民委员会（CCV），开发了最大的社区空气监测系统 该网络在该国，是唯一的位置，以测量和识别本地灰尘事件在帝国 谷我们将利用这一独特的空气监测资源， 了解索尔顿海的快速干燥将如何影响当地的PM水平， 使用呼出的生物标志物，研究儿童的呼吸系统健康和相关的特应性疾病。的结果 这项工作将与社区分享，以提高教师和家长采取措施的能力， 减少学校、家庭和社区的接触。我们的工作将提供一个机会， 提高社区卫生工作者和卫生保健专业人员的环境卫生知识的基础 并传达研究的主要发现。这项研究将建立一个新的证据基础，以评估 风吹PM对儿童的健康，并通过参与性研究，提高帝国的能力， 山谷社区，以解决预期的快速干燥对环境和公共卫生的影响 附近的索尔顿海

ABSTRACT Across the southwestern US, particulate matter (PM) in the form of wind-blown dust is emerging as an increasingly prevalent exposure of public health concern. Changing weather patterns, droughts and competing water demands are dramatically altering the landscape and creating conditions conducive to the production of wind-blown dust and dust storms. In California, such factors are leading to the rapid shrinking of the Salton Sea, a 350-square mile land-locked “sea” situated near the southeastern rural border region known as the Imperial Valley. A regional water transfer agreement will accelerate the Sea’s drying and it is anticipated that large swaths of the lakebed will become exposed, leaving behind highly emissive salt flats containing toxic metals, pesticides, and other potentially harmful contaminants. As a result, the region is anticipated to experience a dramatic increase in wind-blown dust and existing studies suggest a significant impact on the health and quality of life for nearby residents of this predominantly low-income, Mexican-American community. The overall goal of this study is to develop a community-academic partnership to determine the health effects of childhood exposures to wind-blown PM and inform public health action in the Imperial Valley. There is an urgent need to understand the respiratory and other health effects of the shrinking Sea as little is known about whether chronic exposure to wind-blown PM is linked to the development of respiratory disease or impairment over time, especially in vulnerable populations. In collaboration with both academic and state partners, a local community organization, Comite Civico del Valle (CCV), has developed the largest community air monitoring network in the country and is uniquely situated to measure and identify localized dust events in the Imperial Valley. We will leverage this unique air monitoring resource coupled with community-engaged epidemiological approach to understand how the rapid drying of the Salton Sea will impact local levels of PM and affect children’s respiratory health and related atopic conditions over time using exhaled biomarkers. The results of this work will be shared with the community to increase the capacity of teachers and parents to take measures to reduce school, home and community exposures. Our work will provide an opportunity to build an evidence base to increase the environmental health literacy of community health workers and health care professionals and communicate key findings of the study. This study will build a novel base of evidence to assess impacts of wind-blown PM on children’s health and through participatory research, enhance the capacity of the Imperial Valley community to address the environmental and public health impacts of the anticipated rapid desiccation of the nearby Salton Sea.