California’s drying Salton Sea harms the lungs of people living nearby, say researchers

tomwt — Mon, 17 Nov 2025 17:53:17 +0000

California’s drying Salton Sea harms the lungs of people living nearby, say researchers tomwt Mon, 11/17/2025 - 09:53 More CNAS in the Media Tom Perkins | The Guardian November 09, 2025

THE GUARDIAN - Chemical-laden dust from southern California’s drying Salton Sea is probably harming the lungs of people around the shrinking body of water, and the effects are especially pronounced in children, new peer-reviewed research from the University of California, Irvine, shows.

A separate peer-reviewed study from the University of California, Riverside, also found the Salton Sea’s contaminated dust seemed to alter lung microbiome, which could trigger pulmonary problems that have been reported around the lake.

The two new papers are part of a series of studies that are revealing the environmental and public health risks of dust from the drying Salton Sea, which sits about 60 miles (96km) south-east of metropolitan Los Angeles. The dust has been found to travel more than 100 miles, though the prevailing winds blow to the south-east.

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The lung microbiome is also beneficial to our health — and harmful dust can alter it

tomwt — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 22:13:15 +0000

The lung microbiome is also beneficial to our health — and harmful dust can alter it tomwt Tue, 10/21/2025 - 15:13 More CNAS in the Media Monica Cull | Discover Magazine October 21, 2025

DISCOVER MAGAZINE - When it comes to the microbiome, researchers have extensive knowledge of the microbial community living in our guts. The lungs, however, are a different story. While it may sound odd, microbes do live in our lungs, and breathing in certain substances, like certain dust, can cause harm to the lung microbiome.

A new study in mSphere examines how dust from the evaporating Salton Sea in California — a saline, landlocked lake — may be irritating the microbes in the lungs and altering the immune response.

The Lung Microbiome
Though researchers know much more about the gut microbiome than the microbes in the lungs, they still believe the lung microbiome is beneficial to our health. While genetic factors or bacterial infections can contribute to a weakened lung microbiome, researchers from the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) have found, for the first time, that environmental exposures can also have adverse effects.

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Emma Aronson

California’s drying Salton Sea harms the lungs of people living nearby, say researchers

The lung microbiome is also beneficial to our health — and harmful dust can alter it