Monday April 28, 2025
The Coronado Times —
Turns out there’s a lot more than sewage polluting our rivers, oceans and air, according to scientists who study the cross-border sewage crisis.
More than 175 toxic chemicals have been found in water samples collected from the Tijuana River Valley, according to Dr. Paula Stigler Granados, who spoke at the Coronado High School Stop the Sewage Health Forum on Wednesday.
“These chemicals are bad actors,” said Granados. “These are things that should not be in our waters.”
She said that out of the 392 chemicals found in samples, 224 appear on a regulatory list, and 175 appear in the EPA Toxic Substance list. In addition, many of the chemicals are what scientists call an “emerging concern,” which means no one knows just how toxic they are yet.
“When we talk about sewage, we think about pathogens and we think about bacteria,” said Granados. “But there is stuff in the water other than just sewage, and we want to be very clear about it.”