UCSD scientists find ‘complicated soup’ of toxic chemicals in South Bay air

A discarded shoe along with other rubble discovered at the Tijuana River Valley Regional campgrounds File photo courtesy SDSU School of Population Wellbeing South Bay residents have been breathing chemicals emanating from the Tijuana River including one that has been known to damage DNA another that is used in tire manufacturing and traces of methamphetamine according to a new evaluation The research comes from a club of scientists from UC San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography that says it s the first assessment of its kind to track a wide range of chemical pollutants being transmitted from polluted water into the air Researchers say that when rainfall causes sewage overflows southern San Diego air can carry toxic chemicals from the Tijuana River at levels similar to those faced by workers at a wastewater medicine plant But while wastewater workers may be exposed for a limited amount of hours and with protective gear residents have likely been exposed to the chemicals for decades It s not just one compound at a time you re breathing in it s this complicated soup of thousands of chemical compounds bacteria viruses all at the same time mentioned Adam Cooper the researcher who authored the investigation If you live in the region for decades at a time we merely don t have the information to know the long term healthcare effects of that UCSD scientists have been researching air in the Tijuana River Valley for several years Particular of that research made national headlines last year when Scripps scientist Kim Prather informed concerns about high levels of hydrogen sulfide in the air at hotspots in the river This assessment co-authored by Prather sampled air at several locations near the river and as far north as La Jolla and determined that chemical contamination from the river is becoming airborne Researchers located high levels of octinoxate a UV filter used in sunscreen that can break down into more toxic components They also detected dibenzylamine a substance used in tire manufacturing as well as a mixture of illicit drugs Particular of the chemicals like those linked with tire particles may also have local sources But the researchers say the majority of aerosolized chemicals come from polluted water in the Tijuana River which feeds into the Pacific Ocean and are transferred to the air through sea spray UCSD researcher Jonathan Slade says that octinoxate can degrade DNA under certain conditions He declared when one applies sunscreen it doesn t penetrate the skin But when it s in aerosols you re breathing them in inhaling them and they re depositing deep into our lungs where they re more likely to transfer into our bloodstream and that s something that s significant he announced Residents in southern San Diego have been complaining about respiratory and gastrointestinal problems they associate with contamination from the river The researchers say their results suggest more studies are needed to determine the populace vitality impacts of inhaling polluted air in the Tijuana River Valley Read the rest of the story at inewsource org