Influences of Windblown Particulate Matter on Children’s Respiratory Health Residing Near the Salton Sea, California

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIM: The production of wind-blown dust and dust storms is expected to accelerate as climate change drives land use changes and diminishes water resources. For instance, in the rural U.S./Mexico border region of the Imperial Valley, sources of wind-blown particulate matter (PM) are growing due to anthropogenic activities and the shrinking of the Salton Sea, a land-locked saline “sea” situated in the Southern California region. Residents of this environmental justice community have expressed growing concern about these environmental changes, including the health implications of worsening air quality. METHODS: To assess the impacts of PM on children’s respiratory health in a structurally marginalized community, we administered a survey to parents of elementary school children (n=456). We estimated children’s exposure to PM2.5 and PM10 using air monitoring data from governmental regional monitors based on residence at time of survey. RESULTS:22% of children reported wheeze in the past 12 months. Individual annual exposure estimates for children were on average 7.55μg/m3 (SD: 1.9) and 42.44μg/m3 (SD: 6.75) for PM2.5 and PM10, respectively. In models adjusted for age, sex, parental education, and survey language, a 1SD increase in PM10 was associated with an increased risk of wheezing in the last 12 months (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 0.9-1.8, P=0.06). Among asthmatics, a 1SD increase in PM2.5 or PM10 was associated with an increased risk of wheezing (PM2.5 OR: 2.2, 95% CI: 1.4-3.4, P=0.0006; PM10 OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 0.9-4.0, P=0.07), and any asthma medication usage (PM2.5 OR: 1.9, 95% CI: 1.2-2.9, P=0.005; PM10 OR: 2.4, 95% CI: 1.1-4.9, P=0.01). CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that PM2.5 and PM10 air pollution may influence children’s risk of wheezing in this rural border region. Future work aims to identify additional environmental and modifiable risk factors to facilitate implementation of targeted intervention programs to improve health. KEYWORDS: Environmental Justice, rural health, border health, respiratory health