Toxic Salton Sea dust may trigger lung inflammation and reduce gut microbial diversity
Though it may not always feel like it, we are a part of nature, and our health depends on the quality of our environmental surroundings. A new study published in Scientific Reports explores a surprising new connection between climate change, pollution and the negative health impacts marginalized communities disproportionately face.
A new study in Scientific Reports explores how toxic dust from the rapidly drying Salton Sea is causing lung inflammation and reducing gut microbial diversity in nearby communities. Mia Maltz, a UConn researcher, and her team found that dust from the sea, fed by agricultural runoff, is drying and shrinking due to climate change, creating a source of easily aerosolized dust.
The closest dust samples caused inflammatory responses in the lungs and decreased gut microbial diversity in mice, while the farther dust samples had the opposite effect. The researchers believe that this gut-lung axis could be a driver of systemic consequences of environmental exposures, particularly nonallergic asthma with an increase in neutrophils.
The team is working on informing residents about lifestyle changes and using air purifiers to combat the health impacts of the polluted sea.
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