Child Health Benefits of Investing in Electric School Buses – Key Messages and Evidence Summary

It’s time to invest in school bus electrification in Canada – for our children’s health today and for their future. 

Investing in school bus electrification in Canada is an opportunity to achieve multiple child health benefits – from better physical and mental health outcomes, to improvements in academic performance and learning. This document outlines the health risks of exposure to diesel exhaust, including the increased susceptibility of children, alongside the child health benefits that can be achieved when governments and communities invest in electric school buses.

“Given what we know about the child health effects of diesel exhaust and the risks posed by climate change, switching to an all-electric school bus fleet should be an obvious choice nationwide to protect the health of children, now and into the future.”¹ Dr. Erica Phipps, Executive Director, Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment (CPCHE) 

Diesel Exhaust and Child Health: 

• Pollution from diesel-powered school buses harms children’s health.^{2 3 4 5} 
  • Air pollution and noise from diesel exhaust are linked to multiple physical and mental health effects. 

• Diesel exhaust contains hazardous particles and gases: 
  • Fine and ultra-fine particulate matter 
  • Nitrogen dioxide  
  • Carbon monoxide  
  • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons  
  • Volatile organic compounds  
  • Ground level ozone (formed from chemical reactions of diesel pollutants in the atmosphere)  

• Diesel particles act as carriers of toxic compounds, allowing them to spread throughout the body.  

• Diesel exhaust is a human carcinogen. Exposure to diesel exhaust causes lung cancer and is linked to bladder cancer. 

• Exposure to diesel exhaust causes respiratory inflammation and decreases lung function. 

• Exposure to diesel exhaust has been linked to several other health effects, including: 
  • asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory conditions  
  • heart disease  
  • central nervous system effects  
  • immunological effects  
  • reproductive and developmental effects 

• Emerging evidence suggests that diesel exhaust can impede brain function and learning.^{6 7 8} 
  • Traffic-related air pollution may be affecting children’s academic performance and ability to learn.⁹  
  • A study of school age children’s exposure to traffic pollution showed slower response times in children with greater exposure to pollutants in diesel exhaust.¹⁰ 
  • Another study showed that exposure to traffic pollution was negatively associated with educational attainment.¹¹ 

• Air pollution increases the risk of poor mental health in children and adolescents.¹² 
  • Exposure to traffic pollution has been linked to depression and anxiety symptoms.^{13 14} 
  • One meta-analysis of data from multiple studies found a link between ambient air pollution and depression. More specifically, a 10ug/m³ increase in fine particulate matter (a diesel pollutant) corresponded to a 7% increased risk of depression.¹⁵ 
  • An estimated 1.2 million children and youth in Canada experience mental health challenges¹⁶. Given increasing evidence of the link between diesel pollutant exposure and depression, switching to electric school buses can be a concrete step towards supporting child/youth mental health. 

• Children are at greater risk of health effects associated with diesel exhaust. 
  • Children are more susceptible to the harmful effects of air pollution because their bodies, brains and lungs are still developing. 
  • Children have greater exposure to traffic-related air pollution. They breathe more air proportionate to their body weight than adults, they spend more time outdoors, and they are closer to the ground where vehicle emissions are concentrated.¹⁷ 
  • Children exposed to diesel exhaust are at greater risk of developing asthma and lower respiratory tract infections. Diesel exhaust exposure worsens asthma suffering for children who already have the disease. 
  • Some children are at even greater risk due to inequities.^{18 19} People in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods experience elevated exposure to ultra-fine particulate pollution²⁰. In major Canadian cities, exposure to traffic-related air pollution has been shown to be higher among children in lower income than in higher income neighbourhoods.²¹ With almost half of all schools in Canada within 200 m of high traffic roadways, children may have higher exposure to air pollution both at home and at school.^{22 23} 

• Health impacts: Every year, in Canada, exposure to diesel exhaust is estimated to cause: 
  • 2.2 million acute respiratory symptom days 
  • 170,000 asthma symptom days 
  • 3,000 child acute bronchitis symptom days^{24 25} 

• Improvements in school attendance, educational performance, and outdoor air pollution (particulate matter) have been observed when older diesel school buses were replaced with new, lower emitting buses.²⁶ 

• Diesel-powered school buses also emit greenhouse gases – the root cause of climate change. 
  • Throughout their lifespan Canada’s fleet of diesel school buses emit 110 tonnes of carbon dioxide – a powerful greenhouse gas.²⁷ 
  • Children are disproportionately at risk of climate-related health impacts, such as the physical and mental health impacts of extreme heat, air pollution, and climate anxiety.²⁸  

• Diesel buses are a significant source of noise pollution. 
  • Children are more vulnerable to the harmful effects of noise including hearing impairment, cognitive impairment, and negative impacts on behaviour.²⁹ 

Electric School Buses and Child Health: 

• Shifting from diesel to electric school buses is a step in ensuring healthy learning environments and better health outcomes for all children. 
  • With annual emissions from Ontario diesel school buses estimated to be over 200,000 kg of nitrogen oxides and over 8,000 kg of particulate matter, along with other air pollutants, eliminating these harmful pollutants can have significant physical and mental health benefits.³⁰ 

• Switching to electric school buses also has significant health economic benefits. 
  • Modelling estimates that reducing fine particulate matter and nitrogen oxides by an equivalent number of tonnes to that emitted by all school buses in Ontario would provide over $7.2 million in health benefits every year.³¹ 
  • A recent study found that replacing the average diesel bus in the U.S. fleet in 2017 with an electric bus would yield climate benefits of $40,400/bus, and health benefits of $43,800/bus for a total of $84,200 per electric bus. The health benefits would accrue from fewer deaths and fewer new childhood asthma cases as a result of reduced exposure to fine particulate matter.³² 

• From a climate action perspective, actions to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can have substantial health benefits related to improved air quality, which can help offset their costs. 
  • Electrification of school transportation is an important part of Canada’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the transportation sector which accounts for 25% of Canada’s GHG emissions.^{33 34} Collectively, these measures will also significantly reduce traffic-related air pollution and associated health costs which Health Canada estimates to be $9.5 billion per year (CAD 2015).³⁵  Diesel school bus emissions make up a portion of these traffic pollution and health costs. Thus, health cost savings achieved with improved air quality through a switch to electric school buses helps offset their costs .³⁶  

Powering Electric School Buses from Clean Electricity 

• Making the switch to zero-emission school buses, especially if powered by electricity generation that does not itself contribute to air pollution and a legacy of hazardous waste, can provide health benefits and climate benefits. Children benefit from both! 
  • Currently, 66% of Canada’s electricity is from renewable sources such as hydroelectricity, wind and solar. Electricity from nuclear power produces approximately 15% of Canada’s total electricity.³⁷ While it does not produce GHG emissions, nuclear power generates radioactive waste.³⁸  
  • In provinces like Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia, electric vehicles are responsible for almost no GHG emissions because the electricity to power EVs in  these provinces is generated from low-carbon sources.³⁹ 
  • Switching from fossil fuels to clean electricity can achieve 37% of the emissions reductions required for Canada to meet our 2050 net-zero emissions target. ^{40 41} 

Electric Vehicles vs Fossil fuel Powered Vehicles – Environmental and Social Impact linked to Child Health 

• Fossil fuel-burning vehicles include those powered by diesel, gasoline and propane. (Propane is a byproduct of the natural gas processing and crude oil refining industries).⁴² Harmful tailpipe emissions from propane-powered vehicles can be comparable to those of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles.^{43 44} Electric vehicles have no tailpipe emissions.⁴⁵ 
  • Life cycle analysis⁴⁶ favours electric vehicles over fossil-fuel powered vehicles.⁴⁷ Electric buses and trucks outperform those powered by diesel, hydrogen and natural gas in reducing greenhouse gas emissions over their lifetime, including emissions attributable to fuel production and consumption, and vehicle manufacturing.⁴⁸ 
  • Raw material mining for vehicle production in general, is associated with global child health risks related to environmental and occupational exposure, and human rights violations. This includes the risks from mining minerals required for electric vehicle batteries.⁴⁹ Potential impacts of mineral development include health and safety issues, biodiversity loss, and social disruption due to land use change, water depletion, and water, waste and air pollution.⁵⁰ 
  • Vulnerable populations including children and marginalized people are disproportionately affected by mining activities. For example, children are at increased risk of toxicity from metal exposure compared to adults due to their smaller body size and other factors.⁵¹  
  • In considering potential environmental and social impacts of mining for all material supply needs, including vehicle manufacturing, the Principles for a Green Energy Transition must be prioritized, including:  
    • “Ensuring that we make the most of the resources and energy we use. To minimize the impacts of mining, it’s crucial to maximize resource efficiency to reduce the demand for new materials while meeting the goals of a green energy transition.” and, 
    • “Doing mining right … The development of new mining projects must be approached with greater attention to the broader cumulative effects of such projects on biodiversity, climate change and water systems and with the full participation of Indigenous communities in informed decision-making processes that lead to true consent.“⁵² 

• Over their entire life cycle – from raw material production and vehicle manufacture, to transportation, operation, and decommissioning, electric vehicles have significantly lower carbon emissions and lower energy consumption.⁵³ 
  • A Province of Quebec study found that electric vehicles have 55% to 80% less environmental impact than fossil-fueled vehicles, after having traveled 300,000 kilometres (km). Environmental impacts assessed in this analysis included: human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, depletion of fossil resources and depletion of mineral resources.⁵⁴ 
  • In a City of Vancouver study, a life cycle analysis comparison found that a compact gasoline-powered vehicle emits 392.4 gCO₂-eq/km with an energy consumption of 4.2 MJ/km compared to emissions of 203.0 gCO₂-eq/km and energy consumption of 2.0 MJ/km for a similar-sized electric vehicle.⁵⁵
    
• With battery technology evolving, and advancements in battery recycling, far less raw material (metals) are needed for electric vehicle production.  
  • A 2021 study by the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) estimates that the amount of lithium required for a kWh of EV battery power will drop by half between 2020 and 2030, cobalt by three quarters, and nickel by approximately one fifth.⁵⁶ 
  • The same T&E study estimated that by 2035, over one fifth of lithium and nickel, and 6% of cobalt needed for new batteries could come from recycling. 
  • Recycling EV batteries and recovering metals and minerals has been estimated to reduce life-cycle emissions by up to 51%.⁵⁷ 
  • A 2021 study from the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney found that by 2040, recycling of metals could reduce demand for newly mined material by approximately 25% for lithium, 35% for cobalt and nickel, and 55% for copper.⁵⁸ 

A  Healthy, Sustainable and Equitable Transportation System includes Electric School Buses 

• Electric school buses and other clean vehicle technologies are one component of a healthy, sustainable and equitable transportation system, alongside solutions such as active transportation, walking, wheeling and cycling! Optimal child health benefits are achieved when transportation policies prioritize health, sustainability and equity. This includes compact and complete communities that reduce dependency on motorized vehicles, and promote active transportation, public transit, equitable access to safe mobility for all users, and vehicle electrification, – while continuing to improve technologies to reduce the environmental impact of all modes of transport. 

• A 2024 report by Institute for Sustainable Futures – Minimizing Mining Impacts on the Road to Zero Emissions Transport⁵⁹, highlights five pathways to avoid the environmental and social impacts of electric vehicles: 
  • Reduce car dependence by designing compact communities and promoting walking, cycling and public transportation 
  • Shift to smaller and more efficient vehicles and batteries 
  • Use vehicles and batteries more intensively over the lifespan 
  • Close the loop on battery minerals – recovery and recycling 
  • Source minerals more responsibly 

• Another 2024 report by the International Council on Clean Transportation – Electrifying Road Transport with Less Mining, identified “transport avoidance and modal shift strategies” as ways to reduce the demand for new mining for vehicle batteries. These particular policy approches have several child health co-benefits including physical and mental health, social connections and improved health equity. Examples include:  
  • Planning higher density urban areas,  
  • Developing cities centered around well-connected public transport 
  • Building out safe walking and biking infrastructure.⁶⁰ 

• Engaging in active and sustainable transportation, such as walking, cycling, taking public transit, carpooling, or other forms of low-carbon travel, not only creates less air pollution and carbon emissions, but it can also improve fitness, reduce stress and increase social interaction in the community.^{61 62}  

• Programs like Green Communities Canada’s School Travel Planning project⁶³ and School Streets initiative⁶⁴ are cost-effective ways to get more kids active and create environmental, societal and economic benefits for the whole community. 

• The Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment promotes active and sustainable transportation in all learning environments, for child health and climate action, for example, through an online resource hub and checklist for healthy and sustainable child care environments.⁶⁵ 

• Pollution Probe’s Clean Transportation Policy promotes low-carbon mobility options such as active transportation, urban transit, and EV usage.⁶⁶ 

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