Contaminated Tijuana River Contributes to Regional Particulate Matter (PM) Levels Highlighting Overlooked Water-Air Transfer of Gaseous PM Precursors.

ABSTRACT: The San Diego-Tijuana border region has experienced rapid urbanization and industrial growth with unmitigated environmental consequences. For nearly a century, the Tijuana River (TR) has carried untreated sewage and industrial waste into the United States, contributing to a long-recognized and ongoing water pollution crisis. However, the impact of this pollution on air quality has been almost entirely overlooked until very recently. Analysis of low-cost air sensor data reveals that gases released from the polluted TR directly contribute to the formation of fine aerosols, increasing PM₁ (particulate matter <1 μm) concentrations, particularly when river flow is high and atmospheric dispersion is low. Analysis of PM₁ size distributions revealed the enhancement of smaller

SUBMITTER: Cysneiros de Carvalho K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12756918 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature