California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Author: Amato Evan

Contractor: University of California, San Diego

Contract Number: 24RD001

Project Status: Active

Relevant CARB Programs:   Community Health, People at Risk, Community Air Protection Program, Statewide Windblown Dust, Health Effects of Air Pollution

Topic Areas: Salton Sea Community Engagement, AB617 Communities, Air Pollution Exposure, Health & Air Pollution, Inhalable Particulate Matter and Health, Toxic Air Contaminants, Climate Change

Research Summary:

The arid landscape and strong, gusty winds of the Imperial and Coachella Valleys of southern California cause high levels of dust in the air, which can cause respiratory disease and asthma.  Dust storms in the region are also common.  The Salton Sea, with a shoreline over 100 miles long, is in Imperial and Riverside counties and is rapidly shrinking from a lack of fresh water flowing into the lake. As the Salton Sea shrinks, more shore is exposed and dust from the shoreline is blowing into nearby communities. There is long-standing concern that dust blowing from Salton Sea is contaminated with chemicals used on the farming lands bordering the lake and that people who breathe in the dust are being exposed to these chemicals. This study will collect dust from the Salton Sea area to find out how much dust is being blown from the shoreline area and what chemicals are in the dust.  By knowing this information, scientists can then see if the dust could be causing health problems in people living around Salton Sea.  The study will also look at how climate change impacts, such as hotter temperatures and stronger winds, might cause more dust and health problems in the future.

The goals of this study are to:

• Measure how much dust is blowing from the Salton Sea into communities
• Find out which chemicals are in the dust
• Figure out how much dust residents are inhaling and whether chemicals in the dust may cause health problems
• Predict how climate change might affect the amount of dust coming from Salton Sea
• Suggest actions that might reduce the dust or health problems

Keywords: Salton Sea, dust storms, soil emissions, particulate matter (PM), toxic air contaminants, public health, exposure, climate change