Dangers of diesel fumes fuel education drive

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http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/3387434.html

Dangers of diesel fumes fuel education drive

Tom Meersman

Star Tribune

Published Oct 25, 2002

Where there are school buses, there are usually children nearby -- and the

smell, if not the sight, of diesel exhaust. Separating the kids from the

fumes is the aim of a state law passed this year, as well as the goal of an

education campaign announced Thursday by a group of St. high school

students backed by state officials and environmental groups.

" We shouldn't be putting our health in jeopardy by coming to school, " said

Amir Nadav, a senior at Highland Park High School, who noted that most

students are exposed to diesel fumes every school day for 12 years.

Nadav and more than 100 other high school students rallied at the State

Capitol earlier this year, presented petitions with more than 1,000

signatures and persuaded legislators to pass a " no idling " law. It requires

that beginning in July bus drivers minimize the idling of school bus engines

near schools and that they park and load away from school air-intake

systems, to try to keep the fumes from being drawn into schools.

Assistant Principal Kay Insley said Highland Park High is already following

the law. Drivers of the 38 buses that transport students daily have been

asked to turn off their engines while waiting, she said, and to start them

no sooner than five minutes before scheduled departure times. The policy

also affects buses that take students to and from athletic and other events,

she said.

" This issue has brought great attention from parents, " Insley said, " and I

know St. schools are working on it as a districtwide policy. "

a Maccabee, coordinator of the Sierra Club's Minnesota air toxins

campaign, said it doesn't do any good to have a law on the books unless it

is understood and implemented. She has worked with student leaders and the

state Office of Environmental Assistance on an outreach campaign in which

letters have been sent to every school superintendent in the state and in

which schools are offered the opportunity to enroll as a " cleaner bus

school. "

The campaign also has developed sample letters to inform parents about the

risks of diesel, and it is beginning to work on a student speakers' bureau

and curriculum materials for teachers.

Also endorsing the effort are the American Lung Association of Minnesota,

the Minnesota Children's Health Environmental Coalition and the Women's

Cancer Resource Center.

Citing federal studies, Maccabee said diesel exhaust typically contains 40

toxic chemicals, 15 of which are carcinogens. Among other illnesses, she

said, the fumes can trigger asthma attacks. " Children are more vulnerable to

pollutants than grownups are because their airways are small, they breathe

more often and their lungs are still developing, " she said.

Because of those risks, Maccabee said, shutting off diesel engines is only a

first step. A better solution, practiced in some school districts around the

country, she said, is to retrofit school buses to burn alternative fuels,

such as compressed natural gas or diesel with " ultra-low " amounts of sulfur.

The Minnesota Association for Pupil Transportation -- a nonprofit group of

industry leaders and school transportation coordinators -- could not be

reached for comment on whether the law poses any significant problems for

drivers. The group lists the " no idling " requirements on its Web site.

The law provides exemptions if parking buses away from air-intake systems

would block traffic, cause other safety problems or increase costs.

Nadav and other student leaders will make a presentation about implementing

the law to a St. school board committee next month, and they expect to

meet with Minneapolis School District officials. They have also set their

sights on a more ambitious goal: to encourage people to buy more

fuel-efficient cars to reduce air pollution in general.

-- Tom Meersman is at meersman@....