No Breathing in the Aisles
How Diesel School Buses Threaten Our Children’s Health

> Press Release  (en Espanol)   > Full Report  (en Espanol)

It’s a common occurrence to see and smell a black cloud of smoke rising from behind a diesel school bus. We expect that inhaling these fumes outside the bus would be dangerous for our health—and it is. But does that same diesel exhaust pose a risk to children sitting inside the bus on their way to and from school? We initiated this study of diesel exhaust levels inside school buses to answer this question in light of the overwhelming evidence that diesel exhaust causes cancer and premature death and exacerbates asthma and other respiratory illnesses. The results were startling: A child riding inside of a diesel school bus may be exposed to as much as four times the level of toxic diesel exhaust as someone standing or riding beside it. Read the report to learn what your community can do to clean up school buses.

Contents

• Highlights
• Diesel Exhaust Exposures on California School Buses-Study Results
• The Serious Health Impacts of Diesel Exhaust
• Cleaner Alternative Fuel School Buses Are Available Today
• Clean Fuel School Bus Success Stories Across America
• So-Called "Clean" and "Green Diesel" School Buses Remain Dirtier Than Alternative Fuel School Buses
• Aftertreatment, Repowers, and Rebuilds: How We Can Make Our Existing Diesel School Bus Fleet Cleaner
• Funding Is Available to Help School Districts Switch to Alternative Fuel School Buses, But More Is Needed
• Local Air Quality Agencies Can Adopt Fleet Rules Requiring School Districts to Purchase Only
• Clean Alternative Fuel School Buses
• Conclusions and Recommendations