
A new study is shedding light on the harmful impact of living in some seaside communities. Specifically, researchers studied Southern California’s Salton Sea community and its detriment to the respiratory health of its children who mostly represent Latinx and Purépecha immigrants and their caregivers.
The community is located near the lake’s high, saline-drying soil that feeds into surrounding agricultural fields. These fields are worked by the families of the Purépecha population, which is an Indigenous group from the Mexican state of Michoacán.
“Children of Latinx and Indigenous Mexican immigrant families living near the Salton Sea are especially vulnerable to the sea’s environmental impact on chronic health conditions,” said Ann Marie Cheney, PhD, an associate professor of social medicine, population and public health in the University of California Riverside School of Medicine and the lead author of the study. “Our study uniquely focuses on caregivers’ understanding of the Salton Sea’s impact on the health of children diagnosed with asthma or chronic respiratory health problems.”
Dr. Cheney said caregivers representing immigrant and low-income populations are in a unique position to observe the impact of a child’s environment. However, they are often unable to advocate and seek regular medical assistance.
In the two-year study, which was funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health, researchers conducted focus groups or one-on-one interviews with 36 Mexican caregivers of children with asthma and respiratory problems.
Study participants reported the Salton Sea’s environment as toxic, saying it included sulfuric smells, dust storms, chemicals and fires, which often contribute to asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia. Additionally, respondents said daily exposure to the Salton Sea environment contributed also to allergies and nosebleeds, and that when they remove their children from the Salton Sea’s environment, their symptoms improve.
“Our study has important public health implications for vulnerable child populations,” Dr. Cheney said. “The Salton Sea and its effects on the children and families living along its border offer a preview into what is to come in the next several decades because of climate change. Without intervention, children, such as those in our study, will be especially vulnerable to respiratory health consequences of climate change and the effects of poor air quality on health.”