School bus and large diesel vehicle exhaust can be a toxic source of bad air, particularly for young kids. The effect of these emissions on small lungs (never mind adults) can be catastrophic. They’re blamed for a host of children’s illnesses, from asthma to cancer.The good news is that the school bus fleet operated by Stock Transportation across Halifax Regional Municipality has just been replaced with many newer buses with cleaner exhaust.
The bad news: look at all the older "smoking" diesel trucks and buses still out there. You'll want to avoid following one in traffic, if you can help it. Especially if your child in the back seat is asthmatic.
To look into the future of where Halifax may be headed in eventually addressing this problem, read how one school district in Massachusetts is retrofitting its’ school bus fleet with filters. The impact on kids’ health and the environment is expected to be dramatic. Read the story here.
To read more about the filtering technology available, visit here.
