Environmental influences and predictors of children’s respiratory health in the Imperial Valley, California

Abstract

PDS 68: Outdoor air pollution, mortality and morbidity, Exhibition Hall (PDS), Ground floor, August 26, 2019, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Background: Particulate matter (PM) in the form of wind-blown dust is emerging as an increasingly prevalent exposure of health concern. In southern California, wind-blown PM is increasing due to drought, changing weather patterns and the shrinking of the Salton Sea, a 350mi2 land-locked “sea” situated near the rural border region known as the Imperial Valley. A regional water transfer agreement has accelerated the Sea’s drying, exposing large swaths of the lakebed and leaving behind highly emissive, contaminant-laden salt flats. Methods: To begin to assess the impacts of PM on children’s respiratory health this rural environmental justice community, we administered a health survey to parents of elementary school children (n=357). We estimated children’s exposure to PM10 and PM2.5 using data collected from a community-owned PM sensor network, locally maintained and operated by Comite Civico del Valle. Results: Individual exposure estimates for children, based on the year prior to baseline survey, were on average 11.19μg/m3 (SD: 3.17) for PM2.5 and 48.76μg/m3 (SD: 8.58) for PM10, comparable to estimates based on federally regulated air monitors. In preliminary models, adjusted for age, sex, parent education and language of survey, a 10μg/m3 increase in PM2.5 exposure was associated with an increased risk of asthma diagnosis (RR: 2.0, 95% CI: 1.0, 4.1, P=0.049). Additional factors that were associated with asthma diagnosis at baseline were having an asthmatic mother (OR: 3.7, 95% CI: 1.8-7.7), pneumonia (OR: 8.1, 95% CI: 2.4-27.4) or bronchitis (OR: 3.8, 95% CI: 1.7-8.2) prior to age 2, private insurance (OR: 2.3, 95% CI: 1.1, 4.9) and household income >$50,000 (OR: 3.0, 95% CI: 1.3, 7.0). Conclusions: These results suggest that PM2.5 air pollution, among other factors, may impact children’s risk of developing asthma in this rural border region. Future work aims to identify modifiable risk factors to facilitate earlier intervention to improve health.