Distance to a Drying Saline Lake and Lung Function Development in a Rural Border Cohort of Children

Is living closer to the drying Salton Sea and experiencing more dust events associated with children’s lung function development over time?In a cohort study of 369 school-aged children tracked over 2 years, those living within 11 km of the Salton Sea had significantly reduced growth in forced vital capacity compared with children living farther from the sea. Increased dust exposure was also associated with reduced lung function growth, particularly among children living near the sea.These findings suggest that environmental exposures near the drying Salton Sea may impair lung function development in children.

Corresponding Author: Jill E. Johnston, PhD, Department of Environmental Jillj1@uci.edu).

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