Article courtesy of the Clean Air Partnership
With the arrival of August, many area students are preparing to head back to school. For most kids, the start of the school year is an exciting time, filled with fun, friends and new adventures. But for kids with asthma, the new school year can come with serious health challenges.
This is because the trip back to class often brings with it a variety of asthma triggers that may lead to asthma attacks. These triggers can include emotional stress and anxiety, new sports routines and indoor and outdoor allergens.
The amount of pollution in our air is a major contributor to asthma attacks. Exposure to smog is dangerous for kids, especially since they are still growing and generally spend more time outdoors than adults. Dirty air can interfere with lung development and increase the risk of lung infections in all children, and the health risks are far greater for children with asthma. Currently, approximately 6.3 million children suffer from asthma, and the condition ranks as one of the leading causes of missed school days.
Smog is formed when heat and sunlight react with pollution – much of which is released from vehicle tailpipes. Consider where your own children attend school. Is there a long line of parents idling their vehicles as they wait to drop off their children? Are there idling buses near the school entrance? All those idling vehicles release emissions that are dangerous for children and can exacerbate asthma.
The good news is that all of us can play a role in helping to clear the air at school. Simply making a commitment to refrain from idling on school grounds can help reduce the emissions that lead to poor air quality and, ultimately, help students breathe easier.
Area schools are also encouraged to get involved in the clean air effort by placing “no idle” signs in their drop-off lanes and parking lots. FREE signs are available to schools by contacting Susannah Fuchs with the Clean Air Partnership at 314.449.9149, or by email at susannah.fuchs@lung.org.
Additional information about the Clean Air Partnership’s anti-idling efforts is available on the Clean Air Partnership’s website at www.cleanair-stlouis.com. To learn more about other steps you can take to help improve air quality, visit the Clean Air Partnership website, like our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter @gatewaycleanair.