South County residents living near the sewage-laced Tijuana River said air purifiers are helping them feel healthier, a new San Diego County Air Pollution Control District survey about the devices found.
The District, which has distributed thousands of units for free, conducted the survey and published it last week. It ran from Sept. 9 through Oct. 3. More than 1,200 people completed the 13-question survey.
The findings mark the first collection of public opinions about the purifiers’ effectiveness in reducing odors and overall satisfaction as a short-term relief to a decades-long problem.
The district’s distribution of the units was a response to mounting pressure from communities affected by the rotten egg-like smell of hydrogen sulfide, a gas emitted from the river that has long been polluted with sewage and toxic chemicals spilling over from Mexico. South County residents living near the river have reported symptoms such as headaches, congestion, nausea, eye irritation, coughing and worsening chronic respiratory conditions. They have also reported loss of sleep and changes in their recreational activities.
Some have criticized the air purifiers as a Band-Aid approach to the crisis. Others have said they welcome some relief while federal governments on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border work on fixing broken and outdated wastewater infrastructure, the crux of the problem. The district has also made changes to its purifier program after several applicants complained about delays and other issues. Paula Forbis, the district’s officer, said the district removed proof of residency verification and picked an instate distribution vendor.
District officials said the survey results could guide how the agency expands its air purifier program, including whether and how to increase the number of purifiers from one to four per household. Board members are expected to consider options on Thursday.
According to the results, 88% of respondents indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied with the use of the purifiers.
Most respondents also said they have noticed health improvements. Among the reported answers: about 31% said they have had less coughing or throat irritation, 33% improved breathing, 35% fewer allergy or asthma symptoms, 20% fewer headaches and 27% better sleep. About 36% said they had no health improvements or weren’t sure.
Alma Denisse Perez said she took the survey. She lives in an apartment in Nestor, just one mile north of a hot spot along Saturn Boulevard. Scientists said hydrogen sulfide, a gas that can emit rotten-egg-like odors, and toxic chemicals have become airborne there.
Perez and her family moved to Nestor two years ago. Her daughters have allergies and asthma and their symptoms got worse last summer. She spent months taking them to doctors in search of answers.
“My eldest daughter was checked for rhinitis, and they also checked her lymph nodes. They were just trying to see if she had anything like that, but she didn't. Everything turned out fine. It wasn't any of those things," she said.
Perez said she got a purifier last year when the district first began distributing them. She said it’s been helping.
“That’s why I use it every day. I feel that my daughters get sick less often, and that I get sick less often," she said.
The district said that no statistical weighting was applied to the survey results. That means that the findings reflect the experience of survey respondents rather than a weighted estimate of all air purifier recipients.
Still, Forbis, said that the results “show that this program can have a meaningful impact.” She said she acknowledges that the “final solution” to ending the sewage crisis is “in those long-term infrastructure fixes, in the upgrades at the Saturn (Boulevard) hot spot.”
The District plans to reach its goal of handing out 10,000 units by the end of the year, Forbis said.
