Study Shows Exhaust Leaking into School Buses

[kerrygoddess]

Environmental Watch: Study Shows Exhaust Leaking into School Buses
10 April 2005


Who has time to worry about an environmental study about exhaust leaking into school buses when the news is riddled with “A Culture of Death, Not Life?” But that’s another story altogether, isn’t it.

Maybe it’s time we started paying more attention to the culture of life, particularly when it involves the wellbeing of the children of this country, all of the children of this country. It seems to me there is a problem with finding a story like this from Reuters, buried on the Environment News page on MSNBC, when clearly this story should be front page news. Why? Because it affects millions of children across this country who ride school buses every day.

Exhaust leaking into school buses, study finds

Children exposed to much more than people outside

Children riding on school buses are breathing in more pollution than people standing out on the streets, U.S. researchers concluded in a new study.

More & Links - http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=690

[jmowreader]

1. School buses are designed wrong

At least the exhaust systems on them are.

Every school bus I've ever seen has the exhaust system between the frame rails and the output is either straight out the back or out one side--normally it's out the back.

This gives you two ways to poison the riders: station-wagon effect, especially in the back few seats; and holes in the exhaust system which allow gasses to rise through holes in the floor.

If they were to use a vertical exhaust system like a tractor-trailer has, the exhaust would exit the system above the bus roof and be carried off in the slipstream.

The biggest manufacturer of school bus chassis is Freightliner, who is also the biggest manufacturer of Class 8 trucks. Just design a simple shield to keep children from touching the exhaust pipe and you're golden.

I also can't help feeling that this would be less expensive to build because there's less material in this kind of exhaust system.

[kerrygoddess]

2. So how come they didn't think of that? N/T

[jmowreader]

7. Not sure...probably something about exhaust heat

Specifically, they're worried about kids either bumping into or touching-on-purpose the exhaust stack. A kid generally won't crawl under the bus to play with the exhaust system, but he might play with an exposed stack. And diesel exhaust systems are very hot.

Probably the best way is to set up a school bus like a muni bus--with the engine in the back. When it's back there, you can run the stack to the roof inside the coachwork.

[kerrygoddess]

8. Too much technical stuff for my brain.

Thanks for the info, I'm clueless on that stuff.

[paineinthearse]

3. poor kids

We can spend billions on the war on Iraq and can't provide kids with a safe ride to school.

[kerrygoddess]

5. Pretty darn twisted

Isn't it!

[Richard Steele]

11. So who is surprised?

BILLION$$$ of dollars after declaring "Mission Accomplished", we still can't provide WORLD RENKNOWNED journalists a safe ride to the Baghdad Airport.

So who imagines that American grade-schoolers would be any safer?

The B*sh administration has spent our tax dollars KILLING grade-schoolers elsewhere, while it CUTS funds for educating them here.

[sandnsea]

4. Economy of Health

And how bad environmental practices costs Americans billions of dollars a year. I guess as long as it's born kids instead of fetuses, it's mom and dad's problem. I can already hear the counter charge, "drive your kids to school yourself".

[kerrygoddess]

6. Some kids are on the bus for an hour or two daily...

Something should be done about this. It's another topic of "culture of life" and how it's being twisted. Where is the caring about our kids and their future in their "culture of life" claims?

[GoldenOldie]

9. National Problem - School buses leaking exhaust fumes

Tucson Schools have had to deadline many buses due to the deadly exhaust fumes entering the bus. It was reported on the Local news that this is a National problem and they were expecting officials from the manufacturer to arrive in town to see what they were going to do to resolve this danger. This is not a simple exhaust from the tail-pipes. The school district mechanical engineers have been unable to solve the problems.

The children maybe riding these buses 1-2 hrs a day and then the drivers and required monitor 5-6 hrs a day. The drivers and monitors then rest inbetween their trips in the center of the in-coming and out-going buses, so they get it inside and outside.

[kerrygoddess]

10. Well it's barely made the news elsewhere.

Glad to hear it's get's some news in Tucson.