South Bay residents have been breathing chemicals emanating from the Tijuana River including one that has been known to damage DNA, another that is used in tire manufacturing and traces of methamphetamine, according to a new study.
The research comes from a team of scientists from UC San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography that says it’s the first study of its kind to track a wide range of chemical pollutants being transmitted from polluted water into the air.
Researchers say that when rainfall causes sewage overflows, southern San Diego air can carry toxic chemicals from the Tijuana River at levels similar to those faced by workers at a wastewater treatment plant. But while wastewater workers may be exposed for a limited amount of hours and with protective gear, residents have likely been exposed to the chemicals for decades…