Are children at risk from inhaling bus exhaust?
Yes. Children are especially vulnerable to air pollution because their lungs are continually developing. Smaller particles penetrate children’s narrower air passages and lodge deep within the lungs. Children breathe at a higher rate – 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults – and this can lead to more exposure. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism for chronic illness, and the exhaust from school buses can trigger asthma attacks. School bus exhaust can also trigger and exacerbate allergies. Not only are children exposed to diesel exhaust when they are outside of the buses, but diesel exhaust also enters the buses when children are loading and unloading. This means that the first children loaded on the bus and the last children unloaded from the bus are the most exposed.
