School Buses, Air Pollution & Children s Health Presented to: Halton Partners for Clean Air Presented for: Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA) Kim Perrotta Senior Policy Analyst Halton Region Health Department October 19, 2006 1
OPHA Report: School Buses, Air Pollution & Children s Health Project Manager: Kim Perrotta, Environmental Health Manager, OPHA Background: Ralph Torrie, Torrie Smith Associates Funding: The Laidlaw Foundation Walter & Duncan Gordon Foundation Environment Canada In-kind Support: Toronto Public Health Peel Health Services York Region Health Services Waterloo Region Public Health 2
700 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 Why Focus on School Buses? High Emitters of PM & NOx (Waterloo Centre for Atmospheric Science, 2005) 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 3 PM2.5 (mg/vkt) LDGV LDGT1&2 LDGT3&4 HDGV2B3 HDDV2B HDDV3 HDDV4&5 HDDV6&7 HDDV8A HDDV8B HDDTB HDDSB LDGV LDG T1&2 LDG T3&4 HDGV2B3 HDDV2B HDDV3 HDDV4&5 HDDV6&7 HDDV8A NOx (g/vk T) HDDV8B HDDTB HDDSB
Why Focus on School Buses? Elevated Levels On-Board (New Brunswick Lung Association, 2005) Average Concentrations: Walking to School, On- Board School Bus, Ambient Air No Idling, uncongested roads & relatively good air quality PM 2.5 (µg/m 3 ) PM 1.0 (particles/cc Black Carbon (ug/m 3 ) PAHs (ng/m 3 ) Walking 9.7 4,000 0.2 265 School Bus 32.1 11,000 0.7 775 Ambient Air 5.0 4
What is Diesel Particulate Matter? 80-95% fine particulate matter 1-20% ultra-fine particles Includes hydrocarbons such as PAHs Deep into lungs & into bloodstream 5
Aggravate asthma Increase respiratory infections Reduce lung function Aggravate allergies Increase school absences Increase emergency room visits, hospital admissions & premature deaths Acute Health Impacts PM 2.5 & DPM 6
Chronic Health Impacts PM 2.5 & DPM Increase risk of heart disease Increase risk of lung diseases including lung cancer Possibly increase risk of developing asthma 7
Air Pollution & Children Acute effects with short-term exposures increase in asthma symptoms Increase in hospital admissions Increase in respiratory infections Chronic effects with long-term exposures Reduced rate of lung function growth which predisposes to chronic lung & heart disease Possible increase in cases of asthma 800,000 Ontario children use school buses Small increase in health risk can result in significant # of health impacts 8
Ontario s Current Fleet of School Buses 15,000 school buses; mostly diesel 3400 tonnes smog-forming air pollutants 30% buses - pre-1994 (12-21 years) Emit 10-25 kg of PM/year each 70% buses - 1994-2006 (0-11 years) Emit about 4 kg of PM/year each 2007 Model Year Buses Will emit about 0.4 kg of PM/year each 9
Emissions Different Model Years, 2006-2016 - PM, NOx & HC (Torrie, 2005) Annual PM Emissions, Status Quo Projection Annual NOx Emissions, Status Quo Projection 100 Tonnes A: Pre 91 B: 1991-1993 C: 1994-2003 D: 2004-2006 E: 2007-2009 F: 2010 & later 2,500 2,000 Tonnes 90 1,500 1,000 80 500 70-2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 60 A: Pre 91 B: 1991-1993 C: 1994-2003 D: 2004-2006 E: 2007-2009 F: 2010 & later 50 Annual HC Emissions, Status Quo Projection 700 Tonnes 40 600 30 500 400 20 300 10 200 100-2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016-2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 A: Pre 91 B: 1991-1993 C: 1994-2003 D: 2004-2006 E: 2007-2009 F: 2010 & later 10
Emission Reduction Options Maintenance & Operation Practices Retrofitting DOCs, DPFs, & Engine Filters Replacing new Diesel, CNG & HEV Fuel Switching - Biodiesel 11
Emission Reduction Options Cost & Reductions (1994-2003 MY) Replace with 2007 MY Diesel Bus Reduce PM, HC & Toxics by 95% Reduce NOx by about 70% Costs about $10,000 more than other MY buses Replace with Compressed Natural Gas Bus Reduce PM by 70% & GHG by about 6% Increase HC by up to 50% Costs about $50,000 more in capital Replace with Hybrid Electric Vehicle Would produce reduction in all emissions Prohibitively expensive for the school bus sector at present Refuel with Biodiesel (B20 Blend) Reduces PM & HC by 10% & Toxics by 12-18% Reduces GHG by about 20% but increases NOx slightly Fuel costs can increase by up to 20% 12
Emission Reduction Options Cost & Reductions (1994-2003 MY) Retrofit with Diesel Oxidation Catalyst (DOC) Reduces PM by 25% & HC by 85% Costs about $2500 per bus Retrofit with Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) Reduces PM, HC, & Toxics by 95% Can reduce NOx by 25% (by allowing low NOx calibration) Costs about $10,000 per bus (for 2-stage DPF) Retrofit with Engine Crankcase Filter Costs about $400 Supposed to reduce PM emissions; does reduce on-board exposures Maintenance & Driving Practices Can reduce all emissions by up to 10% 13
Emissions Analysis, Individual School Buses,1994-2003 MY 5,000 Figure 17: Ontario's School Buses, Annual PM Emissions per Bus, Cohort C (Grams/Year) Base CNG B20 80,000 Figure 18: Ontario's School Buses, Annual HC Emissions per Bus, Cohort C, (Grams/Year) Base CNG 4,000 3,000 2,000 1,000 DOC DPF Replacement 60,000 40,000 20,000 B20 DOC DPF Replacement 0 0 Figure 19: Ontario's School Buses, Annual NOx Emissions per Bus, Cohort C, (Grams/year) 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 Base CNG B20 DOC DPF Replacement 25000 20000 15000 10000 5000 0 Figure 20: Ontario's School Buses, Annual GHG Emissions per Bus, Cohort C (Kilogram s/year) Base Case CNG B20 DOC DPF Replacement 14
Exposure Impacts: Conventional Diesel & DOC Retrofit Clean Air Task Force, 2005 Red PM2.5 Black Ultra-fine PM Top conventional diesel school bus Bottom Retrofit with DOC Not much impact Maybe HC impact 15
Exposure Impact: ULSD & DPF vs. Crankcase Filter Red PM 2.5 Black Ultra-Fine PM Top ULSD & DPF Huge Impact on Ultra-fine PM Bottom ULSD& Crankcase Filter Huge Impact on PM 2.5 16
Exposure Impacts: ULSD, DPF & Crankcase Filter vs. Conventional Diesel Red PM2.5 Black Ultra-fine PM Top ULSD & DPF & Crankcase Filter Huge Reductions in PM 2.5 & Ultra-fine PM Bottom Conventional Diesel 17
OPHA Recommendations Healthy School Bus Program Ministry of Environment Multi-year Program $10-20 million/yr Replacement of older buses & retrofitting of newer buses Environment Canada Multi-year Fund $10-20 million/yr 18
What can be done at a Local Level? Support OPHA Recommendations Develop Idling Policies & Fact Sheets Emphasize doors closed when engines on Start buses after children are on-board Develop Healthy School Bus Plans Describe fleet (age, size and routes) Assess replacement/retrofit options with and without supplementary funds Give priority to retirement pre-1994 buses Give priority to crankcase filters ($400/bus) Assign routes with awareness of bus age 19
OPHA School Bus Report www.opha.on.ca/resources/schoolbus.pdf 20