Pittsburgh's Healthy School Buses

Contact Info

Description

Pittsburgh Public Schools is taking action to reduce student exposure to dangerous diesel pollution emitted from school buses serving its children. The Pittsburgh Healthy School Bus Fund has been set up to allow the district to retrofit school buses with filtering devices that will reduce fine particulate matter emissions by at least 85 percent.

The Healthy School Bus Fund combines the efforts of the Pittsburgh Public Schools, The Heinz Endowments, Clean Water Action, Group Against Smog and Pollution and the Clean Air Task Force to reduce the amount of particulate matter in the air that threatens the health of adolescents. Particulate matter from diesel can negatively effect health by way of reduced lung function, asthma attacks, heart attacks, strokes, cancer and potentially, premature death. Children are 2.5 times more likely than adults to experience the effects of diesel particulate pollution, as their lungs are not fully matured.

The retrofits come in the form of diesel particulate filters and closed crankcase systems, which come close to eliminating this type of pollution. Because of this, retrofits for school buses become a vital part of improving the health and quality of life for children and adults living in Pittsburgh.

Read more about "Breathe Project"