Dr. Jill Johnston, Co-director of the Southern California Center for Children’s Environmental Health Research Translation, recently co-authored an article titled, “Particulate matter levels and children’s lung function in a rural cohort near a drying saline lake,” alongside a team of researchers from University of Southern California (USC), UC Irvine, University of Washington, and Committee Civico del Valle. The article provides an analysis of data collected through the NIEHS Southern California Environmental Health Science Center funded Children’s AIRE study pilot phase, which assessed the lung function of children living near the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is a receding saline lake in southern California that is replenished by agricultural runoff and has been historically contaminated by agricultural pollutants as a result. The study found that exposure to PM2.5 and PM10, which can carry pollutants such as pesticides and toxic metals, was linked to declines in the lung function of children both with and without asthma diagnoses.