How San Diego Air Pollution Affects University Heights Health
An acrid stench descended on our neighborhood for a few days last month, likely caused by hydrogen sulfide gas from the Tijuana River. Levels of the gas are much higher near the source, of course, wreaking havoc on the health and well-being of our fellow San Diegans in San Ysidro and Imperial Beach. But when air flow patterns carry the pollution north to UH, our health is affected as well. Nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter from the I-8 and I-5, along with industrial sources around the bay, add to the toxicity of the air we breathe, even if we don’t smell anything suspicious. Sore throats, red eyes, coughing, fatigue, and headaches are often attributed to pollen, but air pollution is the more insidious culprit.
On over a third of the days last month, air quality monitoring reports showed that the air in our neighborhood was not “good.” “Moderate” air quality sounds like it should be okay, but in fact it isn’t healthy for children walking to school or playing outside, nor is it healthy for older adults, especially those with any number of common medical conditions. There is a strong association between air pollution and asthma in children, and the American Heart Association notes that shortterm exposure to air pollution increases the likelihood of strokes, heart attacks, and other cardiovascular events in adults. Long-term exposure is worse.
We need to take the quality of the air we breathe seriously. In-home air purifiers can help, with a number of highly effective options available by makers like Coway and Blueair. When the air is particularly dirty outside, it’s a good idea to close windows and switch our purifiers to “high” to clear the air inside our homes. Paying attention to air quality reports and adjusting our activities and plans when pollution is bad, if possible, is also wise.
The county’s Air Pollution Control District also needs us to report dangerous, illegal activities so that inspectors can stop them, such as when contractors sandblast concrete without performing legally required mitigations to keep the toxic dust particles from drifting into neighboring homes. See www.sdapcd.org/ content/sdapcd/air-quality.html for more details.
It’s often beautiful here in mid-city San Diego, but blue skies don’t always tell the whole story. We’ll be heading into hotter, drier months soon, with fires adding to vehicle and industrial air pollution sources. Decreasing our own contributions to air pollution and increasing the time we spend in cleaner air will help us all breathe a bit easier.