Idle Time Is Right Time to Turn Off Engines

By MARTIN HENDERSON (Patch Staff)

A movement is afoot in the Bay Area to reduce the region’s carbon footprint and make schools safer after the final bell.

It may be an odd connection, but the Bay Area Air Quality Management District wants parents to stop idling their cars while waiting to pick up their kids. It’s one small step that could have a big impact on health, environment and finance.

Foremost is the health of children, who regularly walk past a motorcade of idling gas-powered vehicles and breathe in the carbon monoxide gases being emitted once school lets out. That was the main message earlier this month at an event at Pleasanton Middle School in Northern California, part of a plan by health experts, city, school and air quality officials to raise awareness of the harmful effects that idling can have on children and young adults.

According to the BAAQMD, monitoring at schools has shown elevated levels of benzene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and other air toxics during the afternoon hour coinciding with parents picking up their children.

In a perfect world, says air quality management spokesman Tom Flannigan, the school community will work toward reducing the number of cars on the road through car pools and ride programs. But something everyone can do is simply turn off the key.

“Awareness is our key message,” Flannigan said. “This is our first school we’ve ever done an outreach effort where we were knocking on windows of idling cars. … We got an incredible response from parents and children who didn’t think their idling car was part of a greater problem. They probably thought if you were idling for five minutes, it’s not a big deal; but if hundreds of cars are idling for 5-10 minutes, or longer, it’s a bigger problem.

“Park them a block away, walk to the school, sit under the shade, roll down the windows; just don’t leave the car idling the whole time.”

Automobile transportation is the largest source of pollution in the Bay Area. Children under age 14, because of their developing lungs, are more vulnerable to the effects of air pollution. Not only are they more sensitive than adults but also spend more time and are more active outdoors. Because their air passages are more narrow, it takes less inflammation to obstruct a child’s airway. Kids are also more likely to develop asthma or other respiratory illnesses.

In addition to kids, others who are susceptible to severe health problems include pregnant women, the elderly whose immense systems are weaker, athletes who exercise vigorously outdoors, outdoor workers, and those with heart or lung disease or respiratory problems.

There has been an idle-free program in the Tri-Valley area for three years, but until now it had included passing out information and posting signs. There are plans to go to more schools, but going to every school to engage waiting parents is somewhat prohibitive.

In addition to the health benefits, which might be the most overlooked, other benefits to turning off the engine after more than 30 seconds—such as at the drive-thru or the gas station—is the reduction in pollutants in the environment and the money saved while needlessly burning fuel, according to SpareTheAir.org.

Photo: Students advising waiting parents via Bay Area Air Quality Management District