Episode 17: The Salton Sea - California's Most Dangerous Lake

In this episode of H2O and Beyond, I’m joined by Dr. Mia Maltz, a professor of microbial biology and soil health from the University of Connecticut to discuss the health effects of the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is California's largest lake. But the area surrounding it has some of the highest rates of pediatric asthma in the country. Why is that? The lake is currently shrinking, and the lakebed is currently being exposed. Winds are picking the dust up and residents of Imperial County California are now breathing it in. Stay tuned to learn more!0:00 Intro3:31 Overview of the Salton Sea4:54 Overview of research5:26 What is a microbiome?6:41 Experimental methodology10:22 Results11:59 Similarities to the Great Salt Lake14:22 What's actually causing the reactions to the dust?17:05 What do you do with this data?18:45 LPS (Lipopolysaccharides) and immune reactions 22:12 What's being done to protect the public? 22:57 Is it actually safe to visit the Salton Sea?23:23 How does this affect surrounding communities?25:16 Future of the Salton Sea26:16 Restoration projects28:43 Future research31:04 Closing🎧 Listen to more episodes & follow us here: https://linktr.ee/h2oandbeyondFeedback Form: https://forms.gle/RNjdFLY2wSrk7PW2ALearn more about Dr. Maltz's work and the Salton Sea!https://www.miamaltz.com/https://psla.uconn.edu/person/mia-maltz/https://www.saltonseasummit.org/