Central Ohio schools seek to cut bus fumes

Exhaust from bus fumes can aggravate asthma and other breathing problems.
COLUMBUS (AP) -- An environmental organization wants to help Ohio schoolchildren breathe a little easier at the bus stop.
The Ohio Environmental Council enlisted seven central Ohio school districts to help combat the effects of school bus exhaust, which the group says contributes to a host of health problems.
The fumes from buses' diesel engines contain soot, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, benzene and other toxins, and children are especially susceptible to its effects because they breathe more air than adults, according to studies by the American Cancer Society.
The exhaust can worsen asthma and other breathing problems, so the council helped districts apply for grants to reduce pollution and provided the schools with signs marking "No Idle Zones," where drivers should turn off engines while waiting to pick up students.
The Columbus suburb of Westerville is installing the signs this month, but the habit of idling buses might be hard to break.
School districts must maintain a balance between reducing the time spent idling buses and keeping the vehicles warm, said George Sontag, Worthington schools transportation director.
"It's something that we constantly have to police," Sontag said. "We definitely want it to be warm enough so the kids won't be cold, but we don't want the emissions either."
The Environmental Council also wants to help districts modify buses with exhaust filters and switch to cleaner fuels.
School districts in Columbus, Bexley, Canal Winchester, Gahanna-Jefferson and New Albany-Plain Local, plus the Franklin County Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, also are working with the group.
Other districts in the area declined, citing financial concerns or steps they've already taken to combat the dirty fumes, said Staci McLennen, the group's director of clean air programs.
Upper Arlington already has 30 buses that release fewer emissions by using soy-based diesel and a policy limiting the time buses idle, director of transportation Joe Herchko said. Also, newer buses will be virtually pollutant free, Herchko said, but districts needed to prepare for those buses to cost about 35,000 more.
Hilliard schools also opted not to participate but bought six new, cleaner buses, which run on low-sulfur fuel that generally costs about 25 cents more per gallon than regular diesel.