A recent report by San Diego State University (SDSU) details the growing problems at the U.S.-Mexico border. The idea is that untreated sewage and other unsanitary pollution is flowing into the United States from Mexico.
SDSU’s School of Public Health describes this development as a “public health crisis” and describes how “untreated sewage, industrial waste, and urban runoff” are severely contaminating the Tijuana River and Estuary (TJRE). It explains what is going on. Unfortunately for Americans, TRJE flows directly into the Pacific Ocean and onto the coast of the small California city of Imperial Beach. Beyond that, the Tijuana River flows 190 miles from Mexico to the United States, putting all residents along its edge at risk. The International Boundary and Water Commission estimates that over the past five years he has dumped 100 billion gallons of pollutants into this waterway.
Scientists involved in the SDSU report found that there are a variety of dangerous bacteria and viruses in the water. These include HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, Streptococcus, Listeria, Vibrio, Salmonella and Mycobacterium tuberculosisvarious pathogens ( Escherichia coli and legionella bacteria) carry antibiotic resistance genes. The water contained dangerous amounts of arsenic and cadmium, as well as industrial chemicals that are not allowed to be discharged in California.
“South San Diego County is in a complete state of emergency related to cross-border contamination, and this is a public health time bomb,” Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre told ABC News. “We are living in conditions that no one in this great country should live in.”
