Childhood asthma tops the list as one of the most common long-term childhood illnesses, and similarly, a child having an asthma attack tops the list of parents' worst nightmares. Outdoor, and particularly airborne pollutants, can be considered a
primary trigger in causing a child to have an asthma attack, and it's always in the best interest for parents of children with asthma to keep an eye on air quality levels and to monitor for those days considered high risk. Monitoring and managing possible causes of airborne pollution are important steps to take in reducing the prevalence and severity of childhood asthma. Luckily for families of Southeast Michigan there is progress being made to see that this happens.
Though the auto industry provided Michigan it's economic prowess for the better part of the last century, its products are now leading contributors in the production of air pollution in the state. Though overall there has been a marked decrease in the amount of pollutants considered harmful to the public and the environment in the last thirty years, "
on-road motor vehicles" still provide the greatest percentage of emissions of these harmful air pollutants, namely carbon dioxide, lead, and nitrogen dioxide. Pollution caused by automobiles reduces air quality and can pose a serious threat to a vulnerable population with a respiratory such as asthma.
Unfortunately, children don't have to stand next to a busy highway to feel the effects created by automobile air pollution, an in fact a
recent study points to school buses as culprits in promoting poorer air quality at school, in turn putting their child passengers at greater risk. An all too familiar scene plays out as school nears its end and the buses line up at the curb anticipating the final bell, most buses are left running in the waiting minutes before students blow open the school doors and frantically rush to their chosen seats. In the calm before the storm, parked cars with patient parents and expectant buses alike sit idling and constantly compounding their emissions. This build up of air pollutants contributes to poorer air quality in the area surrounding the school where students often congregate prior to traveling home, and can linger in the area for many hours after the traffic has dispersed. This situation puts students at a much higher risk of developing asthma or aggravating an existing respiratory disorder.
Luckily for the communities of Ann Arbor and the greater Washtenaw county areas
local initiatives have been put into motion to help stem these effects. An anti-idling campaign was launched cooperatively this fall in the hopes of improving local air quality along with overall public and environmental health. Both the Washtenaw Intermediate School District and Ann Arbor Public School bus drivers must adhere to no-idling policies, and education is being focused at students' parents asking them to not leave their vehicles running while they wait to pick up their child. Further research will determine the effectiveness of these efforts but with these policies and resources in place it should help children, student, and community members breathe a little easier.
Great job, Mr. Kyle. I had not heard of the anti-idling campaign launched in our area. I may not be the most "in-tune" to the news recently (love school), but I try to keep up. This is a great campaign; it should be more publicized. Anti-idling is great for kids' asthma, the community pollution level, amongst other things.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post, Kyle! When I was in environment school, we learned about how often change must start on a smaller scale to have an affect on a large scale problem. This is certainly an example of that!
ReplyDeleteI've also seen more roundabouts popping up in the Ann Arbor area, which I know are supposed to help with air pollutants by cutting down on the amount of time that cars spend idling at intersections.
ReplyDeleteThe Washtenaw County Road Commission cites a 2003 report from Kansas State University on their website: "The report found a 38-45 percent decrease in Carbon Monoxide emissions, a 55-61 percent decrease in Carbon Dioxide emissions, a 44-51 percent decrease in Nitrogen Oxides, and a 62-68 percent decrease in Hydrocarbons. Other compiled studies found that when conventional intersections (signalized and unsignalized) are converted to modern roundabouts, there is an average reduction of 30 percent in carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides, and a 30 percent reduction in fuel consumption."
Some more information about their increase in Washtenaw county is here: http://www.wcroads.org/Roads/Roundabouts/Environment
I think it's a great idea and I personally really like roundabouts, but my experiences using the new roundabout on State tells me that it might take a while for people who have never been exposed to them to learn how to use them properly.
Great post, Kyle! This is something I have not thought very much about so I'm glad you wrote about the topic. According to the Earth Day Network (http://www.earthday.org/noidling), children are more vulnerable to the effects of vehicle pollution because "their lungs are still in the development phase; they breathe, on average, 50 percent more air per pound of body weight than adults; and they are closer to the ground; therefore, closer to tailpipes."
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that when I first moved to the Ann Arbor area, I was curdled by the fact that I could not drive my car everywhere (as I had done in the past); however, it was only a matter of time before I became an advocate for other forms of transportation: public transport, biking, and walking. Now it is one of the things I miss dearly since I left the city. I'm not surprised about the anti-idling education initiative in Washtenaw county; I hope this intervention yields successful outcomes.
ReplyDeleteAshleigh: I'm glad you brought up roundabouts. Another key factor to these is safety. The Washington State Department of Transportation discusses many benefits to roundabouts, most being an improvement in safety. For example, a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) have shown a 90% reduction in fatality collisions.
Here is the website:
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/safety/roundabouts/benefits.htm
Interestingly, the guys from MythBusters also explore the roundabout versus 4-way stop debate! Like you mentioned, people may not be familiar with the concept at first and they said roundabouts are safer except in that exact scenario.
Steffanie, I thought the safety benefits of roundabouts were pretty interesting, too. The graphics on this page (http://www.wcroads.org/Roads/Roundabouts/Safety) from the Washtenaw County Road Commission really helped me understand how they are so much safer - there are simply fewer potential points of collision with both vehicles and pedestrians.
DeleteI think that the city of Ann Arbor has benefited greatly from initiatives in Washtenaw County to improve public transportation, walkability, bicycle commuting, ride sharing, etc. I hope that the success of these efforts in Ann Arbor help the initiatives to spread to other parts of Washtenaw County and Southeast Michigan.
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ReplyDeleteInteresting topic choice, Kyle! I have to admit, due to Ann Arbor's unconventional nature I'm not too surprised that Ann Arbor schools are heading up this initiative. The anti-idling campaign is an innovative, cost-effective intervention and a step in the right direction towards decreasing asthmatic exacerbations in school-aged children. However, there may be an issue of compliance, especially from the parents picking up their kids. Perhaps another initiative to improve air quality would be to purchase more hybrid operated buses. While this is not the most cost-effective solution, over time it may yield even better outcomes.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Kyle! I was not aware of the no idling campaign and admit that I'm guilty of idling too frequently. I think this post is a great reminder to cut the engine. I am also intrigued by Ashleigh's comments. I had no idea that roundabouts were partially designed/utilized to decrease the amount of idling at stop signs.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post Kyle! Like Mary, I too was unaware of this no-idling campaign. I am a little confused about this issue though. The Asthma Institute of Michigan released a report in 2008 that refers to Detroit as "the epicenter of Asthma Burden." They report increases in asthma incidence during the same time the EPA statistics from your post show drastic decreases in CO concentrations and downward trends in most of the other emissions of concern. I understand that certain environmental exposures can be associated with delayed onsets and that industrial emissions are not the only contributors to asthma, but I cannot seem to find any evidence that clearly shows the correlation between toxic concentrations and asthma. Additionally, it appears from some reports on the AIM website that methods used to collect this data have not been entirely consistent. Granted, I did not spend all that much time looking into this, but it is reminiscent of the same kind of sloppy research that inspired me to change my first degree's major to Cellular and Molecular Biology just to avoid having to read anymore ecological research.
ReplyDeleteHere is the AIM Link: http://www.getasthmahelp.org/documents/14_Ch12_Detroit_Epicenter_of_Asthma_Final.pdf