If you weren’t selected for the CDC’s Tijuana River sewage survey, here’s another one you can take

Late last week, local and federal public health officials interviewed households near the Tijuana River Valley about how the crossborder sewage crisis may be impacting their health. For those who did not receive a visit, there’s a new opportunity to share feedback.

On Monday, the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), in collaboration with San Diego County, launched an Assessment of Chemical Exposure, or ACE, an online survey aiming to identify how many people have been exposed to contaminants related to untreated wastewater and toxic chemicals in the Tijuana River Valley, symptoms they may be experiencing and what immediate support they may need.

“This community deserves better,” Ankita Kadakia, county interim public health officer, said in a statement. “By bringing in this federal agency to help us conduct an ACE survey, individuals who live or work near the water have a chance to voice their concerns, their experiences, and the impacts to their physical and mental health.”

According to the federal agency’s website, an ACE can include interviewing people about their exposure and medical history, symptoms experienced, the health services they’ve received, and even if their pets’ health has been affected. Hospital staff and incident responders are also contacted to learn more details about who has been exposed and what’s been done to protect people.

The information collected can help local health departments identify a group of exposed people that could be followed for long-term effects, find ways to prevent further exposure, decide whether to modify emergency response procedures or take other measures to protect the public.

The ACE in South County follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Community Assessment for Public Health Emergency Response (CASPER), which officials conducted in person from Oct. 17-19. County officials said there are noticeable differences between the two surveys, however.

With the CASPER, surveyors visited 210 randomly selected households closest to the Tijuana River Valley to document how sewage pollution may be affecting their health. ACE is meant to capture more individuals who live, work or frequent beaches in Imperial Beach and Coronado and around the Tijuana River Valley, than the household survey. County officials said some crossover is possible.

Officials said they want to hear from people who have done anything like surfing, shopping, fishing or walking near those areas in the last month.

Tom Csanadi, an Imperial Beach resident and retired pediatrician who lives on the city’s beach, said he has a lot to say about how the crossborder sewage crisis has impacted his household. But he was not part of the 210 surveyed last week. So, he plans to take the ACE survey.

“As a resident living very close to the water, close to where a great volume of raw human sewage pours onto our shores and soil, it’s impossible to believe that there are no harmful effects to people who live and visit this area,” he said. “And so, in situations like this, you have to cast a wide broad net.”

Residents have reported experiencing symptoms such as chronic coughs, watery eyes, headaches, nausea and diarrhea after being regularly exposed to strong odors emanating from the Tijuana River or after heavy rains that bring more polluted flows across the U.S.-Mexico border and sometimes spill onto local roads. Local university researchers have also discovered that bacteria from raw sewage in the waters of Imperial Beach and the river have become airborne.

The sewage crisis is primarily caused by outdated and underfunded treatment infrastructure that has been unable to clean the volume of wastewater produced by Tijuana’s growing population. In the last year, more than 30 billion gallons of polluted flow and trash have made their way into South County via the river and Pacific Ocean.

Over the past months, the local public health department has been working with the state and CDC to dig deeper into potential health impacts of the sewage crisis that have not shown up in reportable county health data. Besides securing the CASPER with the CDC, the county had also inquired with the ATSDR to conduct an ACE.

ACE will be open through Nov. 22. To take the survey, available in English and Spanish, visit redcap.link/tjrv2024.