… The odor comes from a toxic gas that’s colorless and smells like rotten eggs. It’s hydrogen sulfide, or H2S, a byproduct of the millions of gallons of untreated sewage from Mexico that regularly chokes one of America’s most endangered rivers, the Tijuana River. UC San Diego researchers, led by Kim Prather, recently found that sewage-linked bacteria and toxic chemicals in the river are airborne. In the past couple of years, the volume of sewage flows, laced with contaminated stormwater, noxious chemicals and trash, has been the highest in the last quarter-century, worsening conditions for those living and working nearby. … But the data remains woefully insufficient to conclude what long-term exposure means for individuals, especially for vulnerable groups such as children or those with respiratory problems. And there are only three monitors generating information for a border region that is home to tens of thousands of residents who have raised concerns for years.

Other Tijuana River sewage news:

• Science News: NASA images may help track sewage in coastal waters
• San Diego Union-Tribune: Are children living near the border at greater risk of health problems due to sewage crisis?
• San Diego Union-Tribune: Even with Aguirre’s election to board, sewage news is mostly grim