Residents around the Salton Sea have long complained of respiratory ailments, from particulate pollution that blows from the shoreline.

Now, UCLA researchers have identified another airplane that could be sickening people near the inland lake.

Hydrogen sulfide.

That's a gas from decaying organic matter that produces a rotten egg smell.

It's associated with burning eyes, headaches, nausea, primary dizziness and other symptoms.

In a pair of reports released early September, the Latino Policy and Politics Institute at UCLA describe how that happens.

Blooming algae generates the gas in the water, then it waft across nearby neighborhoods.

One study focused on how the chemical is produced in the Salton Sea.

High concentrations of nitrates from fertilizer runoff and low oxygen levels in the water create an environment that generates hydrogen sulfide gases.

The second look at hydrogen sulfide concentrations in the air.

Researchers found that hydrogen sulfide emissions consistently exceed the California Air Resources Board state standard of 30 parts per billion.

At those levels, and even at lower concentrations.

The chemical can cause a litany of health problems.

According to the U.S.

Occupational Health and Safety Administration.

As more data highlight connections between water and air quality, it is crucial to monitor air quality in all its aspects, not just those related to dust, the report stated.

The region is home to primarily Latino, Native American and immigrant residents who already suffer from air pollution.

Consuelo Marquez, who coauthored the report, said the UCLA researchers are calling for a holistic systems approach to improving air quality around the Salton Sea.

That could include distributing air purifiers and air quality monitors so residents can play a role in improving air conditions.

The Salton Sea isn't the only area with this problem.

Hydrogen sulfide emissions also plague areas of San Diego County affected by pollution from the Tijuana River.

For Calmatters, I'm Deborah Brennan.