The Health Risks Posed by Diesel Bus Emissions


Are we doing enough to protect children and staff?


By Erica Phipps, with contributions from Helen Doyle and Barb MacKinnon


better. Diesel emissions, in fact, pose health risks to all of us


D


— students, teachers, parents, bus drivers, and our schools’ neighbors. According to Health Canada, exposure to diesel emissions can increase the risk of lung cancer, cardiovascu- lar disease, worsening of asthma and allergy symptoms, and other health problems (Health Canada, 2016). Children and those from other vulnerable populations, such as asthmatics, seniors, and people with heart conditions and compromised immune function, are at greater risk of harm. There is evi- dence of possible links between diesel emissions exposure and certain reproductive and developmental effects, and growing concern among scientists about the ability of ultra- fine diesel exhaust particles to reach and potentially harm the developing brain. Based on a health impact analysis conducted by Health


Canada (2016), on-road diesel emissions in 2015 were linked to 320 premature deaths. Diesel emissions are also associ- ated with significant numbers of acute respiratory symptom days, restricted activity days, asthma symptom days, hospital admissions, emergency room visits, child acute bronchitis episodes, and adult chronic bronchitis cases across Canada (Health Canada, 2016).


Exposure How are school children exposed to diesel emissions? Chil- dren may be breathing in diesel emissions while riding school buses, despite regulatory and technological improvements that have drastically reduced the self-polluting potential of newer bus models (Clean Air Partnership & OPHA, 2010). It is estimated that children who are bussed to school spend up to 2,000 hours onboard a school bus between grades K–12 (Équiterre, 2018), so these on-board exposures can add up. Children, parents, and school staff standing beside idling diesel buses waiting to load or unload are also exposed to


IESEL BUSES HAVE BEEN delivering our kids to school for decades, but when it comes to the health risks posed by diesel emissions, our children deserve


elevated levels of diesel emissions. Even people in a nearby playground or sports field may be breathing in harmful levels of pollutants. As well, diesel emissions and particulate matter in outdoor air can infiltrate and contaminate the indoor air of the school.


Solutions So, what can be done, how quickly, and by whom? This year for Healthy Schools Day in Canada, we are shining a spot- light on diesel bus emissions because it is a common and important source of health risk for children. It is also a prob- lem with existing solutions. These include well-recognized solutions such as cleaner transportation technologies and the adoption and enforcement of no-idling policies. There are also some lesser-known measures that can be done now, with relatively little cost, to reduce exposures and help protect health. When it comes to diesel technologies, progress is being


made. Regulatory standards for diesel engines and fuels are more stringent than in previous decades, and retrofitted and newer technology diesel engines are commonplace. All of these efforts are helping to reduce human exposure to diesel exhaust.


Some schools and districts are going the distance by


making a clean break from diesel and embracing low- and zero-emission engine technologies such as electric buses. Investing in these cleaner transportation options not only reduces emissions exposure for children and staff; it can help reduce the carbon footprint of our schools. Young peo- ple deserve to have climate action modeled in their places of learning: Switching to electric buses, particularly in juris- dictions where electricity is generated by renewable energy sources, can be part of that shift. Indeed, as we’ve seen recently with the student activism inspired by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greta Thunberg, a growing number of young people are demanding that the adults of the world protect the viability of the planet and our collective future by taking decisive action on climate change. Concerted efforts by health and environmental organiza-


tions, parents and communities have focused attention on the localized and avoidable pollution caused by idling vehicles.


Healthy Schools Day


Each year in April, Canada celebrates Healthy Schools Day to highlight and promote efforts to create healthier learning envi- ronments for children and youth. Healthy Schools Day in Canada is led by the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment. Learn more at www.healthyschoolsday.ca / www.lajourneedesecolesensante.ca.


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