JAMA Netw Open
Dust exposure may slow lung development in children
Clinical takeaway: Environmental dust exposure may impair lung development during a critical growth period, underscoring the importance of minimizing exposure and monitoring respiratory health in children.
Airborne environmental exposures may have measurable effects on lung development in childhood. The Salton Sea, a shrinking saline lake in Southern California’s Imperial Valley, is exposing dry lakebed that releases dust containing salts and contaminants; this airborne particulate matter has been linked to respiratory inflammation and impaired lung development in nearby children.
In a longitudinal cohort study, researchers followed 369 children with a mean age of 10 years for approximately 2 years, comparing lung function growth in those living closer to the drying lake with those living farther away.
Lung function was assessed using spirometry, including forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1). Children living closer to the exposure source had 52.18 mL per year lower FVC growth compared with those living farther away. More hours of dust exposure was also associated with slower growth in both FVC and FEV1.
“Our findings are concerning because they may have long-term health implications,” said Fangqi Guo, PhD, a postdoctoral research associate in population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine and the study’s first author. “Research suggests that if lung growth is reduced during a critical development period such as adolescence, that can lead to increased risk for respiratory, cardiovascular, and metabolic diseases later in life.”
Source: Guo F, et al. JAMA Network Open. April 3, 2026. Distance to a Drying Saline Lake and Lung Function Development in a Rural Border Cohort of Children