12,000 Imperial County Children Already Have Asthma. Will Salton Sea Make It Worse?

Edna Ruiz saw her two-year-old daughter Estellah’s lips start to turn purple as the child gasped for air. She had asthma attacks before, but this was the worst. When they arrived in the emergency room of El Centro Regional Medical Center about 10 p.m. in January, Estellah had a temperature of 104 degrees. “It’s really scary to know when she’s coughing, she could stop breathing,” Ruiz said. The doctor confirmed Estellah’s asthma diagnosis and prescribed medications that helped her improve and return home.