It’s not just in the water.

A University of California, San Diego study discovered a new connection between the decades-long Tijuana River sewage crisis and air quality in South Bay.

The study, titled “Heavily polluted Tijuana River drives regional air quality crisis,” was conducted over a three-week period from August to September 2024 and published Thursday in the journal Science.

A team of researchers from UCSD, UC Riverside, San Diego State University and the National Science Foundation Center for Aerosol Impacts on Chemistry of Environment found that hydrogen sulfide levels were dangerously high in inland regions, despite having no direct contact with the polluted ocean itself.

Hydrogen sulfide is the gas responsible for the foul odor associated with sewage, often referred to as a

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