Toxic gas linked to cross-border sewage sparks public health scare in San Diego — but county rejects researchers’ findings
San Diego State University and University of California San Diego researchers recently claimed that they have detected dangerously high levels of toxic gas in the Tijuana River Valley.
According to the researchers, they discovered high levels of hydrogen cyanide and hydrogen sulfide while conducting air-quality studies in the area, prompting them to temporarily abandon their work over safety concerns and issue a warning to the public. As a result, nearby schools within the South Bay School District have suspended outdoor activities out of “an abundance of caution,” citing “heat and high levels of toxins in the air.”
‘These fumes are causing an immediate and serious threat to the health and safety of residents.’
The reportedly contaminated air has been linked to the high volume of raw sewage flowing from Mexico into the Tijuana River Valley.
Residents have reported an “unbearable” stench in recent weeks, according to the Border Report.
A group of local Democratic lawmakers wrote a joint letter to President Joe Biden (D) and California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) urging them to initiate a state of emergency over the researchers’ findings.
“Recent data has made it clear that these fumes are causing an immediate and serious threat to the health and safety of residents of South San Diego, and our community needs additional support,” they wrote.
San Diego County Supervisor Nora Vargas (D) pushed back on the findings during a press conference Tuesday morning. She claimed that there is no public safety concern.
“I want to reassure everyone that this is not an imminent threat, and it’s safe to be outside and attend school,” Vargas stated, according to KPBS. “Our county experts are actively gathering public health data and conducting research to provide the most accurate information.”
Dr. Kim Prather, director of the Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of the Environment at UC San Diego, responded to Vargas’ press conference, claiming that her team discovered “unsafe air quality.”
“Vargas’s claim directly contradicts not only our calibrated, validated hydrogen sulfide (H2S) data but also the numerous health complaints from South Bay residents, including migraines, respiratory issues, and GI problems. It’s deeply concerning that a public official trusted by the community to protect their health would make such a misleading statement based on an unverified set of measurements from an unknown location and device with no critical details,” Prather wrote on X.
In February, Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre called the sewage problem “the worst it’s ever been” and “the border crisis nobody is talking about.” Aguirre claimed that sewage from Mexico has, at times, forced the temporary closures of some California beaches.
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