Electric school buses will save children’s health

By Emily Pickett, Moms Clean Air Force

Riding the school bus is a quintessential American experience. Here in Florida, 18,000 diesel-fueled buses transport 500,000 students to and from school each day. In cities and towns across the state, children climb aboard the iconic yellow buses as parents wave goodbye from the sidewalk, trusting that the bus will safely get their children to school.

And while school buses do provide a reliable ride to school, they also pose a hidden health risk in the form of dangerous tailpipe pollution. Diesel exhaust threatens our health, especially for children whose lungs are still developing.

Did you know that the air inside a school bus can be more polluted than the air outside of it, essentially trapping our children and bus drivers in a toxic cabin? Compounding the issue, kids take many more breaths per minute than adults, meaning they inhale more air — and the toxic particles in it. The consequences of breathing in tailpipe pollution from diesel-powered buses can range from nausea and headaches to more serious health risks like respiratory infections.

“Going all the way back to the 1980s, the evidence has been clear on the impacts of diesel pollution on child health,” says Dr. Georgia Christakis, a pediatrician and vice president of Florida Clinicians for Climate Action — an organization committed to protecting communities against the health harms of climate change.

“Kids on buses are inhaling diesel particles at 10 times the rate of children who aren’t on these buses, and exposure to diesel on school buses correlates to increased risk of cancer and increased frequency and severity of asthma attacks,” says Dr. Christakis.

Asthma is a significant public health concern, impacting over 27 million Americans, including 4.5 million children. Among children ages 5-17, asthma is one of the top reasons kids miss school.

“Both the impacts on kids with asthma and the risks for cancer are frankly quite scary,” Dr. Christakis continued. “And these issues unfairly impact kids from disadvantaged communities. The sooner we can switch our bus fleets to safer, more sustainable options, the better.”

Fortunately, parents can help protect their children’s health by advocating for a shift toward zero-emission electric school buses. In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced funding available through its Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicle Program. With a substantial $1 billion set aside to replace heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, this initiative presents a significant opportunity for Florida’s school districts to make the transition. Notably, 70% of the funding is designated for the purchase of electric school buses, making this an ideal moment to embrace the change.

Every school district in Florida is eligible to apply, and the application deadline is July 25. Even rural parts of the state with smaller school districts like Sumter County should apply for funding so they aren’t left behind in the transition to electrification. Electric school buses work great in rural communities where children often have to take long bus rides.

While some pockets of the state like Orange County are leading the charge toward electrification, many parts of Florida have yet to take this necessary step. If your county isn’t participating, contact your school district and encourage them to adopt electric school buses. Despite progress, all school districts have a long way to go in electrifying their entire fleets. So it’s still worth asking district leaders to apply for this latest federal funding opportunity to speed up the electrification transition.

As both a parent and an active member of our community, I firmly believe that we have a responsibility to provide our children with a safe and healthy environment. Children should be able to partake in the tradition of riding the school bus without being subject to health harms that can result from breathing diesel exhaust. Solutions for a cleaner ride to school are within reach. Let’s work together to electrify Florida’s school buses and pave the way to a brighter, cleaner future for our kids.

Emily Pickett is the Florida organizer for Moms Clean Air Force. This opinion piece was originally published by the Orlando Sentinel, which is a media partner of The Invading Sea. 

If you are interested in submitting an opinion piece to The Invading Sea, email Editor Nathan Crabbe at ncrabbe@fau.edu. Sign up for The Invading Sea newsletter by visiting here.