Seven school districts in Ohio have decided its finally time to do something about school bus pollution. Diesel emissions are some of the dirtiest and dangerous things anyone can breath in. It doesn’t make much since then to have idling lines of school buses surrounded by children. With this in mind some central Ohio school districts are limiting bus pollution.

In seven local school districts, signs that show a cloud of smoke, silhouettes of children and the words No idle zone, children breathing remind drivers to cut their engines while they’re waiting for passengers. Buses use diesel fuel, which contains soot, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, benzene and other toxins.

“This toxic stew contributes to a host of health ailments including asthma attacks, painful breathing, cancer and preventable deaths,” according to the Ohio Environmental Council, which meets with the school districts, provides the signs and helps them get grants for pollution controls.

Children are especially vulnerable because they breathe more air than adults, according to studies by the American Cancer Society. A California study showed that children who are bused to school have a 4 percent higher risk of cancer throughout their lifetimes.

School districts working with the council are Columbus, Bexley, Canal Winchester, Gahanna-Jefferson, New Albany-Plain Local, Westerville and Worthington, as well as the Franklin County Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. (via)

Some school districts are running biodiesel as a way to reduce the problems of pollution. More money for pollution controls and new more efficient buses will also help. We worry so much about all the dangers facing our children, this seems like an easy one to prevent.