Analyze

TebbeM Desert StoryMaps Question 5

mtebbe
Annotation of
In response to
  • In 2003, the Imperial Irrigation District signed the Quantification Settlement Agreement, in which they transferred the water from agricultural runoff that formerly fed the Salton Sea to supply municipalities in Southern California. The agreement kept water flowing into the lake until 2018 in order to give time to come up with ways to mitigate environmental effects of the lake's desiccation. These solutions have not materialized.
  • UCR scientists are collecting dust for microbial analysis

TebbeM Desert StoryMaps Question 2

mtebbe
Annotation of
In response to
  • Increased salinity
    • Waterfowl dieoffs
  • Desiccation produces toxic dust that blows
    • Childhood asthma and other respiratory conditions
    • 15% of Imperial County residents have asthma
    • wind-blown dust can act as a pathway for microbes, fungi, and viruses to enter lungs by attaching to dust particles
  • Municipal sewage from Mexicali
  • Waste from prisons

TebbeM Desert StoryMaps Question 5.2

mtebbe
Annotation of
In response to

The "Disparities in Environmental Exposures and Health Impacts" project has four goals:

  1. To establish a community advisory board to provide local stakeholder input;
  2. To identify spatial patterns and trends in population exposure and in pollutant transport;
  3. To distribute particle collectors at sites that represent the range of sources of particulate matter and to identify the elemental and biological composition of particles;
  4. To use environmental chamber exposure studies to develop a protocol for monitoring pulmonary inflammation impacts of aerosol particulates identified from the particle collectors.

TebbeM Desert StoryMaps Question 4

mtebbe
Annotation of
In response to
  • Investors who left in the first half of the 20th century
  • Residents who remained in the area (highly Latinx)
    • Labor exploitation, especially of immigrants through programs like the Bracero program
  • Indigenous groups - especially the Torres Martinez, 40% of whose land is underneath the Salton Sea
  • Agriculture
    • Historically not identified as an unwanted land use, which allowed farmers to get away with more than other industries

Chemicals of Concern

mtebbe
Annotation of
In response to
  • Flame retardant chemicals
    • Migrate off of products and into air/dust
    • Many are endocrine disruptors, interfere with the reproductive system and thyroid
  • Stain repellent chemicals
    • Polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFASs) or polyfluorinated chemicals (PFCs)
    • Enter air, dust, and drinking water
    • 6 million US residents have blood PFAS concentrations over EPA limit
    • Associated with cancer, thyroid disease, immunotoxicity, reduced immune response to childhood immunizations
  • Phthalates
    • Enter air and dust
    • Associated with asthma and allergies
  • Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)
    • Environmentally persistent pollutant, endocrine disruptor, and probable carcinogen
    • No longer used, but remain in estimated 25,000 US schools
    • Prenatal exposure may affect height, weight, head circumference, and body size at puberty

Main Argument

mtebbe
Annotation of
In response to

The authors structure their argument around three metrics: student health, student thinking, and student performance. They define these as follows:

  • Student health: the overall physical and biological health of a school building occupant.
  • Student thinking: short-term impacts on cognitive function and mental well-being.
  • Student performance: the successful long-term academic performance of students.

Through their review of more than 200 studies, they conclude that there is unambiguous evidence for negative effects of low environmental quality on all three of these metrics. Although it is discussed in less detail, they also reference studies that provide evidence for the improvement of these three metrics when issues with school infrastructure are addressed.