HAVERHILL — Students with asthma are breathing easier. And less toxic substances are spewing out into the air from the tailpipes of school buses.
In an effort to go greener and clear the air for students and everyone else, Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School has retrofitted its 28 buses with special parts to oxidize the exhaust and better ventilate the air students breathe while traveling to and from school each day.
"About 10 percent of any school district will have asthma and allergies, and both are affected by the environment," said Whittier School Nurse Ilona Closs. "This initiative is wonderful. Anything we can do to help those students, and everyone else, is going to be beneficial."
Whittier is the third vocational-technical school in the state to have its buses retrofitted at no cost under the MassCleanDiesel program. Funding comes from the state's Executive Office of Transportation and federal government.
Whittier Superintendent William DeRosa said seven of his school's older buses received both a diesel oxidation catalyst fitted into the exhaust stream under the bus, and a filter to ventilate the crank case. The remaining buses are receiving crank case ventilators because they are newer and already have the oxidation technology.
"We're thrilled to be chosen for the project," said DeRosa. "It fits in with our efforts to be greener everywhere we can."
The state's Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is sponsoring this first statewide program to reduce air pollution from school buses.
The program provides money to vocational schools such as Whittier that own its own buses, with several that travel long distances. One of Whittier's buses, for example, travels up to 80 miles a day to transport students to and from Ipswich.
"It's a terrific program," said Susan Lyon, an environmental planner for the state's Department of Environmental Protection. "Studies have shown that diesel vehicles are associated with the state's high level of pediatric asthma, and the federal government is really supporting this program."
Diesel fuel has 40 different toxic substances in it and contributes to ozone formation, she said.
According to MassDEP, by next year the program will have paid up to $16.5 million to install diesel retrofits on several thousand Massachusetts school buses. It costs several thousand dollars to retrofit each bus, according to MassDEP.
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