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Home › Articles › Back to School Headquarters › Diesel Danger

Diesel Danger

How School Bus Emissions Are Harmful to Children

By Suzy Feine

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are available to school districts in all 50 states. These funding resources will assist schools that are making a concerted effort to reduce children's exposure to diesel emissions. In addition, bus maintenance tip sheets, a sample "No idling" policy, advice from the EPA and EPA funding sources for a Voluntary Diesel Retrofit Program are available at the North Star Sierra Club's Web site.

To request these resources or to report your school's efforts to reduce students' exposure to school bus diesel emissions, districts are encouraged to enroll in the Sierra Club's Cleaner Bus School program via the online form.

Parental Watchdogs
Students in Minnesota have successfully worked with state agencies to implement the Cleaner Bus School program and encouraged legislators to pass statewide school bus diesel legislation. Parents and students in other states are encouraged to get involved. "If a parent notices buses idling at their school, they should ask to speak to the principal," says Rosier.

Parents are encouraged to start a School Bus Diesel campaign in their area. Downloadable brochures, petitions and posters are available at the Sierra Club's Web site. Parents can also get involved by becoming a school, or even a regional or state, coordinator for this campaign. Volunteers looking for more information or who want to get involved in the Sierra Club's campaign to clean up dirty school bus diesel can contact Michelle Rosier at michelle.rosier@sierraclub.org or 612-659-9124.

What Your School Can Do

Reprinted with permission from the Sierra Club's "How Your School Can Protect Children's Health" brochure.

  • Establish a "no idling" policy. Schools should require that buses turn off their engines when waiting for students in front of the school. Schedule buses to arrive closer to the time of pickup to reduce time when the bus must idle (e.g. during inclement weather). Your school can go a step further and implement a no vehicle idling policy for cars, delivery trucks and buses.
  • Increase inspection and maintenance. Ask your mechanics or bus company to inspect and maintain buses for both physical and health safety of students.
  • Redesign parking. Relocate buses away from schools' air intake vents. Redesign parking in a diagonal, so buses are not lined up back to front to reduce diesel exhaust entering the bus.
  • Move air intake vents. Redesign air intake vents away from parking lots and areas where buses or cars may idle to reduce the amount of exhaust pollution circulating in the school.
  • Invest in cleaner bus technologies. Current buses can be equipped with filters and other technologies to reduce pollution emitted. As the school invests in new buses, purchase cleaner buses.
  • Provide notice to parents. Send annual notices to parents, alerting them to the health risk their children are exposed to when exposed to diesel exhaust. In the notice, include what the school is doing to reduce children's exposure.

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