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November 30, 2005
Dear Medical Officer of Health:
Re: School Buses, Air Pollution & Children's Health
Please find attached, a new report, "School Buses, Air Pollution & Children's Health", that recommends that the Government of Ontario establish a Healthy School Bus Program and that Government of Canada establish a Healthy School Bus Fund to improve children’s health and local air quality. I have also attached the press kit prepared for the report’s release.
Exposure studies conducted in several jurisdictions have demonstrated that concentrations of air pollutants on-board school buses can be several times greater than concentrations in outdoor air. This is a concern for three reasons: these diesel-related air pollutants have been shown to produce a broad array of acute and chronic health impacts at the levels present in outdoor air; we know that children are more sensitive to air pollutants than adults; and there are 800,000 Ontario children being transported in school buses each year.
There are actions that can be taken to reduce childhood exposure to air pollutants on-board school buses. One exposure study found that concentrations of diesel particulate matter and fine particulate matter could be reduced to outdoor air levels when school buses were outfitted with diesel particulate filters and engine crankcase filtration devices and run on ultra-low sulphur diesel. By replacing older school buses and retrofitting newer school buses with these emission control devices, we can significantly reduce childhood exposure to diesel-related air pollutants while simultaneously reducing emissions from these vehicles by up to 90%.
We are asking you to share this report with those staff members in your public health unit who have responsibility for children’s health and/or environmental health issues. We hope that you will work with the school boards in your communities to encourage proper idling practices, proper fuel management practices, and the development of emission reduction plans that include consideration of replacement of older buses and retrofitting of newer buses. In addition, we hope that you will ask your Boards of Health to support our recommendations; ask the Ontario Minister of the Environment to establish a Healthy School Bus Program and ask the Federal Minister of the Environment to establish a Healthy School Bus Fund. If you have any questions concerning this report, please feel free to contact the OPHA School Bus Project Manager, Kim Perrotta, at 905-628-9437.
Sincerely,
Dr. Garry Aslanyan
President, Ontario Public Health Association
attach. School Bus Report (PDF, 4.9MB)
Press Statement (PDF, 11kb)
Q & A Briefing Note
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