April 22, 2010 - Thunder Bay’s Active & Safe Routes to School Committee, a partnership between EcoSuperior and the Thunder Bay District Health Unit is providing schools with a tool kit to encourage parents who drop off or pick up their children to “REMEMBER THE RULE? NO IDLING AT SCHOOL!” Ten area schools are helping to protect the health of children and the environment from harmful vehicle emissions by asking parents to reduce the unnecessary idling of vehicles near the school building.
Nadia Marson, Principal of St. Francis School says, “We are thrilled to be launching the “No Idling” program at St. Francis School on Earth day. I can’t think of a better day to educate students and their parents about the importance of reducing harmful vehicle emissions and caring for the air we breathe than on Earth Day."
“Even though the air in Thunder Bay is cleaner than in many other larger cities, you can still be exposed to air pollution if you are near a vehicle that is idling,” says Ina Chomyshyn of True Grit Consulting Ltd and a member of the EarthWise Air Quality Working Group. “Reducing idling in school zones really complements Thunder Bay’s EarthWise Community Environmental Action Plan.”
WHY IS IDLING OF VEHICLES A PROBLEM AROUND SCHOOLS?
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Idling increases air pollution around the school just when a lot of children are around.
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Children are more susceptible to the respiratory effects of smog such as wheezing and coughing.
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Children breathe more and faster than adults, meaning more harmful chemicals can enter a child’s lungs.
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More smog will enter a child’s lungs since children breathe more often through their mouth rather than their nose. Unlike the mouth, the nose has a natural filtering system which reduces the amount of harmful chemicals taken in.
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Children spend more time outdoors.
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Smog may make children more susceptible to infection by reducing the ability of the child’s respiratory system to fight-off infection. Even without smog, children are more susceptible to infection.
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Symptoms of asthma and allergies can be aggravated by smog.
Passenger vehicles emit various air pollutants including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulphur oxides (SOx). Both NOx and VOCs are involved in a series of complex reactions that result in the formation of ground-level ozone, which is a respiratory irritant and one of the major components of smog.
IDLING ALSO
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Wastes money – to the tune of $1.8 billion a day across Canada!
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Wastes fuel - 3% of Ontario’s fuel is idled away every year.
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Can harm your engine because it is not able to run at peak efficiency.
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Contributes to global climate change through increased emissions of carbon dioxide, a powerful greenhouse gas.
St. Francis School has sent home information cards and posted “no idling” signs and posters to alert parents and staff that engines should be turned off when a vehicle is waiting, or parked, to protect students and the environment from vehicle exhaust.