RATIONALE FOR “NO IDLE” POLICY ON WESTCHESTER SCHOOL GROUNDS

To better protect the health and well-being of Westchester schools’ students, faculty, administrators, and employees, WESC has spearheaded an initiative to educate policymakers, school districts, parents, teachers, and school administrators about the adoption of the “No Idle” Policy. WESC, a program of the Federated Conservationists of Westchester County has spearheaded this initiative because of the reasons below:

1. Diesel exhaust produces large amounts of air pollution. The exhaust lingers and then enters the school with the students through the school doors and windows. This exposure is compounded when all the buses are at the school dropping off and picking up children.

2. Excess exhaust levels on school buses are more than eight times the average levels found in the ambient air, and between 23 and 46 times higher than levels considered to be a significant cancer risk.

3. Diesel exhaust poses serious health concerns to children and adults. Diesel exhaust contains over forty hazardous air pollutants, with several being known carcinogens. As a result, EPA has classified diesel exhaust particles as a probable human carcinogen.

4. 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. There is no known safe level of diesel exposure for children.

5. Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism for chronic illness, and the exhaust from school buses can trigger asthma attacks.

6. School bus exhaust can also trigger and exacerbate allergies.

7. Diesel exhaust also poses a threat to anyone else who is near the idling buses, including bus drivers, teachers, and school administrators. Adults with underlying heart disease are particularly at risk.

8. Because exhaust from all other motor vehicles also poses a health risk to students and adults, this policy should apply to all vehicles on school premises, including privately owned passenger vehicles, including cars, minivans, pick-up trucks, and SUV ’s.

9. Private gasoline and diesel powered vehicles also emit pollutants, including hydrocarbons (some of which are known human carcinogens), nitrogen oxides (a contributor to ozone and fine particle formation), and carbon monoxide (a colorless, odorless, and highly poisonous gas), which contribute to poor air quality.

10. Light-duty trucks such as minivans, pick-up trucks, and sport-utility vehicles (SUV’s) are legally allowed to emit up to five times the emissions as a typical sedan.

11. Banning bus idling will also save many school districts money. Based on EPA estimates, school district could save up to $7,000 per year in reduced fuel costs. Additionally, since school aid formulas are measured in part on school absenteeism, any effort to reduce school absenteeism will benefit our students and Westchester School Districts.

FCWC thanks the Bethlehem School District for providing us with this information sheet.