Blog #9 Air Pollution

San Diego is the 6th worst Air Quality in the Nation! Who Knew?

San Diego is some of the dirtiest air in the nation!!!



I was absolutely shocked to discover that  my beautiful city..with blue skies, sunny days and ocean breezes ranks among the top dirtiest cities in the country? Contributing factors include warm, dry climate with lots of small particulate matter from dust, proximity to Mexico, traffic congestion, wildfires, Energy production, bio-tech industries, and industrial pollution from multiliple Naval and Marine bases. The American Lung Association reports that this can lead to serious chronic health conditions from prolonged inflammatory response. As lung, cardiac and brain tissue are exposed to toxic pollutants we breathe, these tissues become chronically inflamed and reduce our immune response. This also leads to diseases like COPD and even dementia. Children are particularly vulnerable and studies have indicated brain development may be at risk from exposure to polluted air.

The EPA website also shows where harshest polluters are and hot-spots for poor air. I unfortunately live within this zone..I am very near downtown SD and live about 2 miles from the Navy Submarine Base. According to the SD Scorecard, the top polluters are the marine base camp pendleton, Navy base and the ship building yards in south bay. My years in the ED opened my eyes to the risks associated with the ship yards. I had a cluster of patients who would present with acute respiratory distress during the time when ships would be getting sealed with plastic for painting. They apply this shrink wrap to the outside of giant war ships and then paint the inside. I think the purpose is to prevent the toxic fumes from escaping, but the workers get fully exposed. I took care of several of these men and they were very ill. I attribute this to particle pollution from the ship yards, but also the ozone quality in south bay which is very near the border. This double exposure places those workers and resident at particular risk.

Though I have often considered the effects of traffic pollution and climate change on air quality, I really had not specifically considered particle pollution. The article in toxicology journal, really opened my mind to the significance of these risks. Harm reduction strategies to consider for patients and my own children include:

• Checking local air quality indexes daily
• Not exercising for prolonged periods outside
• Being aware of proximity to the Navy bases and shipyards and not attending outdoor events near these facilities
• Maintaining other health practices to improve lung and heart health like hydration, healthy eating and anti-inflammatory diet choices 
• Wearing a mask when using particle polluting chemicals 
• Installing particulate air filters in homes
• Educating patients who are immunocompromised or otherwise high risk to avoid highest polluted regions of SD

Here is a great article from Harvard health on improving indoor air quality.

According to the United Nations Environmental council, "Air pollution is the single largest, environmentally-related global health risk of our time, killing approximately 6.5 million people globally every year."

*Reference: https://www.unenvironment.org/regions/north-america/regional-initiatives/improving-air-quality

We need to work on increasing our awareness as scientists on issues of air pollution.

They are complex and multi-factorial, but each one of us can either contribute to the problem or the solution. 

We can take small steps each day to reduce these risks for our vulnerable populations.

Future: Fact or Fiction?