Children riding in school buses are exposed to more harmful fumes inside the bus than outside, a University of California study has found.
Somehow, exhaust produced by diesel engine school buses especially older ones is leaking back into the cabins, exposing children to particles that have been shown to cause cancer and lung problems, researchers found in a study published in last month's Environmental Science and Technology journal.
The study tested air quality inside six buses traveling through Los Angeles Unified School District, and found children were taking in as much or higher levels of exhaust than most Angelenos. The levels of exhaust were worst in older buses and when windows were closed.
The findings are worrisome because children are more vulnerable to pollution than adults, said Julian Marshall of UC Berkeley, lead author of the study.
"Kids are not just small adults,' Marshall said. "Their lung system is still developing, their immune system is still developing.'
The time Southern Californians spend driving to school or work can be a major source of exposure to pollutants, said Jean Ospital, health effects officer for the South Coast Air Quality Management District based in Diamond Bar.
The AQMD provides incentive programs for school districts to replace buses older than 1977 models for new buses that run on cleaner compressed natural gas (CNG), Ospital said. These buses normally cost about $35,000 more than a normal diesel bus.
Many local school districts are jumping on board.
In Bonita Unified School District, three of the district's oldest buses, including a 1967 and 1968 model, will be replaced by three new CNG buses this summer. (The district already has two CNG buses.)
And the area's largest school district, Hacienda La Puente Unified, has six compressed natural gas buses, obtained through the AQMD's program. The rest of the district's 34 buses are diesel engine buses that range from 1986 to 2005 models, said HLPUSD spokeswoman Gina Ward.
About 1,200 HLPUSD students take the bus to school.
And according to Marshall, that's still the safest way for them to get to school.
"In terms of traffic safety, they are quite, quite safe,' he said. "They are built like tanks.'
Shirley Hsu can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2306, or by e-mail at shirley.hsu@sgvn.com .
By Shirley Hsu , Staff Writer
Whittierdailynews.com
Thursday, May 05, 2005
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