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Study Shows School Buses Continue to Idle in Violation of State Law

Press Release

School Bus

[Hartford, Connecticut, September 20, 2004] School buses idling outside schools expose school children unnecessarily to diesel exhaust—a known asthma trigger—warns Environment and Human Health, Inc. (EHHI). School buses continue to idle outside many schools despite a law that requires bus drivers to turn off bus engines upon reaching their destinations, says EHHI, a nine-member, non-profit organization composed of doctors, public health professionals and policy experts.

A law, Public Act No. 02-56, was enacted by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2002. This law prohibits school buses from idling their engines for more than three minutes when loading or discharging students outside of schools. Yet, in a recent study by EHHI, it is reported that more than 50 percent of school buses are still idling outside their schools.

EHHI’s study, A Survey of Asthma Prevalence in Elementary School Children, also reveals that more school buses are idling at city schools than at their rural counterparts. Sixty-six percent of large city elementary schools reported bus idling as compared to 38 percent reported in rural areas.

“Diesel exhaust has been associated with inflammation of the airways, chronic bronchitis, and is a known trigger of asthma attacks,” says John Wargo, Ph.D., professor of risk analysis and environmental policy at Yale University. “Diesel exhaust, which contains particulates, is classified as a probable human carcinogen by many governmental authorities, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”

“The Connecticut law clearly prohibits buses from leaving their engines running while loading or unloading school children outside schools,” says Nancy Alderman, president of EHHI. “Diesel exhaust is harmful and can rapidly fill the inside air space of buses where the children sit, as well as enter the school environment, including classrooms. School buses that are queued in front of schools should not be turned on until they are fully loaded and ready to depart.”

EHHI's recent asthma research study, supported by funds from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, found that 9.7 percent of Connecticut's school children in grades K-5 were known by their school nurses to have asthma. This statistic means that in Connecticut, on average, one out of 10 children has asthma.

“Asthma has many risks factors and we must eliminate as many of them as possible,” says Alderman. “Allowing school buses to idle on school must be stopped if we are to protect our children’s health. We call on school bus companies to be more vigorous about informing and training their drivers about the ‘no idling’ law.”

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