Author: Scalzo, Shelley
Date Published: 2006
The purpose of this paper is to examine and link both criteria pollutants and
hazardous air pollutants with their associated health risk in the U.S.-Mexican
border region. While it looks at pollution sources throughout the La Paz
Agreement-defined border zone it focuses mostly on transboundary and
boundary-related (i.e. ports of entry) pollutants. It is not intended to be an
exhaustive study of either the border’s air quality or its health consequences, but
to serve as a snapshot of a few pollutants from just a few locations along the
border. It is intended to paint the picture that the air chemistry mixture there is a
unique amalgam with contributions from both countries and not a mere extension
of either. It is an overview of the type and magnitude of the health hazard and
highlights insights gained from the Southwest Consortium for Environmental
Research and Policy (SCERP) decade-long look at air quality and health effects
along the border.
Of the criteria pollutants identified by the Clean Air Act, ozone and particulate
matter (PM) remain a serious threat to health throughout the U.S.-Mexican
border region. These pollutants are present throughout the border region. This
paper uses the experience of San Diego and Tijuana to illustrate the magnitude
of health effects associated with ozone pollution. Particulate matter is addressed
by examining research and conditions present in the Imperial-Mexicali Valley.
This region is known to have the highest levels of PM10 and asthma in the United
States.
This paper also examines the problem of indoor air quality at the U.S.-Mexican
border. SCERP research has identified the incidence of indoor carbon monoxide
(CO) poison in Ciudad Juárez. A comparison of this rate, as well as risk factors
associated with CO poisoning, to rates and risk factors in the United States
reveals an alarming disproportion experienced in Ciudad Juárez.
Hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) are of concern to researchers because of the
growing body of evidence linking them to health outcomes such as cancer and
reproductive harm. Potential for exposure to HAPs is great along the U.S.-Mexican border. This paper also addresses the effects of polycyclic
hydrocarbons, mercury, and tungsten. Each of these HAPs have different
sources unique to the lifestyles and industrial activities that occur at the U.S.-
Mexican border.