California Air Resources Board

Principal Investigator/Author(s): Miguel Zavala

Contractor: San Diego State University

Sub-contractor: Comite Civico del Valle

Contract Number: 21RD013

Relevant CARB Programs: Health & Exposure, Community Air Protection Program

Topic Areas: Community Health, Environmental Justice

Research Summary:

Community residents in the Imperial Valley are disproportionately exposed to harmful air pollutants that result from the unique combination of cross-geopolitical, geographical, and climate conditions with intense emission source activities. Vehicle traffic emissions from United States (U.S.) - Mexico border crossings at two major ports of entry (POE), intense agricultural biomass burning, diesel consumption for water pumping and irrigation, windblown dust and resuspension from unpaved roads, Salton Sea, pesticide application, and concentrated animal feeding operations, among others, are large, suspected source contributors of air pollutants in the region. Air quality in the Imperial Valley is also affected by transboundary air mass transport of air pollutants from emission sources in the border city of Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico. In this study, San Diego State University-Imperial Valley campus (SDSU-IV) will partner with the experienced Imperial Valley- based environmental justice organization Comite Civico del Valle (CCV). Through an engagement plan developed in conjunction with the expert advice of CCV, SDSU-IV will develop a community-centric strategic research plan that reflects community concerns and priorities for research, oriented to guide future health and air quality research to increase health equity in the Imperial Valley region.

Keywords: community plan; air pollutants; health equity; future research