Education

Study: Bus Riders Exposed to High Levels of Exhaust

By Jessica L. Tonn — May 10, 2005 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

An abstract of the report, “Vehicle Self-Pollution Intake Fraction: Children’s Exposure to School Bus Emissions,” is available from the April 2005 issue of Environmental Science and Technology.

A child commuting to school on a school bus breathes in seven to 70 times more exhaust emissions from his or her bus alone than the typical resident breathes in from all school buses combined, a study concludes.

The study—conducted by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of California, Los Angeles, and published in the April 15 issue of the journal Environmental Science and Technology—found that older buses deliver more pollution to passengers’ lungs than newer models.

A student traveling on a bus built in the early 1970s will have a 70 percent higher 24-hour inhalation intake of diesel particulate matter than a student who travels by car. Riding on a bus built in the 1990s reduces the higher 24-hour intake to 34 percent.

Breathing diesel exhaust has been linked to bronchitis and asthma in childhood, and to lung cancer in long-term scenarios, according to Julian D. Marshall, a doctoral student in air quality engineering at Berkeley and one of the study’s authors.

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Special Education Webinar
Big Goals, Small Start: Building MTSS to Scale
MTSS is a powerful framework for supporting student success, but implementation can be challenging. Learn from districts about their MTSS success stories and challenges.
Content provided by Panorama Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Recruitment & Retention Webinar
Exploring Staff Shortage Impact on Education
Learn about the impact of staff shortages, changing roles of educators, and how technology supports teachers & students.
Content provided by Promethean
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Improving Outcomes on State Assessments with Data-Driven Strategies
State testing is around the corner! Join us as we discuss how teachers can use formative data to drive improved outcomes on state assessments.
Content provided by Instructure

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Education Briefly Stated: March 8, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 22, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
9 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 8, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
6 min read
Education Briefly Stated: February 1, 2023
Here's a look at some recent Education Week articles you may have missed.
8 min read