New PFAS Maps and More!

September 2019

Tracking California gathers information about emerging threats and finds ways to share this information to protect public health.

We have new resources and data related to PFAS, publications on our community air monitoring work in the Imperial Valley, and more.

As we continue to explore and share the latest data available in California, please know we welcome your comments and questions.

Paul English

Principal Investigator, Tracking California

PFAS Maps

With the growing interest in PFAS—Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: a group of manmade chemicals used in a variety of consumer products, that can have a variety adverse health impacts —we have created new PFAS data resources. Interactive maps show where PFAS has been detected in drinking water, and we have added information where people can learn more about this emerging environmental health concern. Visit the maps and PFAS web pages here.

Two new publications on our Community Air Monitoring in the Imperial Valley

In the first publication, we describe how we used IVAN AIR data to estimate PM in locations without government monitors, suggesting that community air monitoring data may be useful for developing spatial and temporal models to estimate pollution levels for vulnerable communities. View the article: Use of Citizen Science-Derived Data for Spatial and Temporal Modeling of Particulate Matter near the US/Mexico Border.

In the second, we describe our finding that the IVAN AIR monitors identified more than 10 times as many episodes of high particulate matter (PM) levels as the regulatory monitors alone. This suggests that dense networks of community air monitors may be useful for real-time warnings of high pollution episodes to local communities. View the article: Next-Generation Community Air Quality Sensors for Identifying Air Pollution Episodes

More Program Updates!

New Pesticide Use Data Now Available

Following the release of pesticide use report data from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation we have updated our Pesticide Mapping Tool to include 2017 data.

Find Tracking California at APHA 2019

Alexa Wilkie will present on “Challenges, benefits, and impacts of a community-engaged approach to air monitoring”
Daniel S. Madrigal will present on “Developing Environmental Health Literacy and Leadership with Youth in Imperial County, CA”

New study on drinking water contamination in Paradise, CA after the Camp fire

In this Public Health Institute (PHI) project, we are collaborating with UC San Francisco and UC Davis to test tap water from homes affected by the 2018 Camp Fire for benzene and other volatile organic compounds. The study, led by Dr. Gina Solomon at PHI and funded by NIEHS, has been featured here and here.

New study on drinking water contamination and breast cancer: Tapwater Analysis Project (TAP)

With funding from the California Breast Cancer Research Program, we are also collaborating on a 4-year project led by Dr. Gina Solomon to do an analysis of tap water contaminants which may be related to breast cancer. This study, which is a collaborative effort with UC San Francisco, the US Geological Survey, Sierra Streams Institute and Clean Water Fund, will look at whether potentially hazardous contaminants of concern for breast cancer, that are not currently regulated, are present in California tap water.

Tracking California, formerly the California Environmental Health Tracking Program, is a program of the Public Health Institute in partnership with the California Department of Public Health . Tracking California is part of a national initiative coordinated by the National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program .

This publication was supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number 5U38EH000953, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.