Disparities in Environmental Exposures and Health Impacts: Childhood asthma and the Salton Sea

Residents of the eastern Coachella Valley (ECV) show an increased incidence of pulmonary disease compared to the general population; it has been estimated that while the incidence of childhood asthma in California is ~8%, in the region surrounding the Salton Sea it has been estimated to be upwards of 20%, with significant economic and social impacts in the community. Much of this effect has been attributed to exposure to the high concentration of aerosolized particulates.

Project Aims and Research Leaders

The overall project is led by Dr. David Lo, and brings together an interdisciplinary set of research aims that will analyze the connection between the local Salton Sea environment and the health impacts within the community. You can find an overview of the project in English, Spanish, and Purépecha.

• Aim 1 (Ann Cheney and Maria Pozar). Establish a Community Advisory Board in eastern Coachella Valley to provide local stakeholder input, and build a communication network among families living with asthma.
• Aim 2 (William Porter). Identify spatial patterns and trends in pollutant transport and population exposure around southern and eastern Coachella Valley near the Salton Sea.
• Aim 3 (Emma Aronson). Using an array of particle collectors at sites representing the range of sources of fine dusts, identify elemental and biological sources of particle components, including plant (natural and agricultural) sources, marine organisms from the Salton Sea, topsoil, and drying lakebeds.
• Aim 4 (David Lo). Using environmental chamber exposure studies, develop a monitoring protocol to assess pulmonary inflammation impacts of aerosol particulates, focusing on major components identified from particle collectors.

Other links, media, publications

Story Maps:

Please check out our Story Maps created by our graduate student researcher, Sahar Foruzan M.A., our undergraduate research assistants, Isabelle Swanson and Preeti Juturu with the help Center of Health Disparities (CHD) team. 

           Exposing the Desert: Environmental Justice in California's Desert Wetland
This story map is the first of a series capturing the impact of the "Childhood Asthma and the Salton Sea" project. Please click here to read more. 

          Exposing the Desert Part II: Environmental Justice in California's Desert Wetland

Part II of this series focuses on HDR@UCR and the four researchers with the R01 project. Included is an introduction to remind readers of the health and environmental issues around the Salton Sea and a brief section about the goals of HDR@UCR; followed by questions each researcher is focusing on, what they are currently doing, what they plan to do, and what challenges they have faced during their projects. Please click here to read more. 

Links:

• Visit the BREATHE Center website to learn more. 

Media:

• Comics: "La Laguna Salton Sea, el Asma, y Nuestra Comunidad" and "La Todo Pulmón: La Historia de la Laguna Salton Sea"
• Op-ed by Community Investigator, North Shore Resident and Community Advocate Conchita Pozar: "With climate imperiled, the Salton Sea needs us", Press Enterprise, August 9, 2021
• The Salton Sea: Health Disparity Amid An Environmental Crisis. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Distinctive Voices Series 
• Video interview with Dr.David Lo, “Let’s Clear the Air Webcast”, Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice (CCAEJ), April 13, 2020 

Publications:

• Peng, X., Madany, A.M., Jang, J.C., Valdez, J.M., Rivas, Z., Burr, A.C., Grinberg, Y.Y., Nordgren T.M., Nair, M.G., Cocker, D., Carson, M.J., and Lo, D.D., Continuous inhalation exposure to fungal allergen particulates induces lung inflammation while reducing basal expression of innate immune molecules in the brainstem. ASN Neuro, 10:1759091418782304, 2018. (PMID 30016877)
• Peng, X., Maltz, M., Botthoff, J., Aronson, E., Nordgren, T., Lo, D.D., and Cocker, D., Establishment and Characterization of a Multi-Purpose Large Animal Exposure Chamber for Investigating Health Effects. Review of Scientific Instruments, 90: 035115, 2019. (PMID 30927824)
• Maheshwari S., Del Castillo D., Lo, D., Crisis at the Salton Sea: Research Gaps and Opportunities, Chapter 6 "Health Disparities, Pulmonary Health and the Salton Sea"