As the #SaltonSea Shrinks, #Agriculture’s Legacy Turns to Dust

As drought dries up the shallow sea, near a half-million farmable acres in the #ImperialValley, #farmworkers living nearby are exposed to #toxic dust and airborne #pollution from algae blooms. Asthma, allergies, and other health impacts are rising at alarming rates.

By Virginia Gewin, July 17, 2023

"Building on findings from a recent study documenting the health impacts of poor air quality around the Salton Sea, California’s largest inland lake, López was one of 15 mothers who subsequently agreed to photograph their children and their environments. Three-quarters of the 36 caregivers in the study identified as Hispanic or Latino, and 24 percent identified as #Purepecha, an #Indigenous group from the Mexican state of Michoacan. Over half of them are #farmworkers, as is common in the small, unincorporated communities that surround the sea.

"On bad air quality days, López keeps her 8-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter inside to protect them from a cascade of symptoms that she says worsen with outdoor exposure, including congestion, skin allergies, and shallow, labored breathing that makes sleep elusive. A 2019 survey found that 22 percent of children have asthma in the region, almost three times the national rate of 8.3 percent.

"Imperial County residents were exposed to over 1,200 pounds of #pesticides—via the air, water, and on the plants themselves—per square mile from 2017-2019. That exposure rate is over 90 percent higher than the rest of #California. On top of that, the region is the hottest in the state—with over 117 days over 100 degrees, according to a 2022 Hazardous Heat report.

"Farmers around the Salton Sea have worked to use water more efficiently and reduce field burning. But they also use intensive, conventional practices that rely on chemical inputs. And there is little if any conversation about changing those practices for the good of the Salton Sea or the area’s residents.

"In the last few years, the long-neglected region has been dubbed #Lithium Valley as it has received unprecedented attention due to its precious lithium reserves needed to fuel the state’s clean energy economy. But residents, scientists, and public health advocates worry that this new gold rush will further an extractive dynamic without adequately addressing community health. And new science about the connection between water pollution and air quality suggests more investment is needed."

#LithiumMining #BigAg #Farming

https://civileats.com/2023/07/17/as-the-salton-sea-shrinks-agricultures-legacy-turns-to-dust/?utm_source=pocket-newtab