State Steps Up Efforts To Cut School Bus Pollution

Massachusetts environmental officials are starting the school year by celebrating a program that fitted more than 2,100 school buses with devices designed to cut air pollution from diesel engines.

The MassCleanDiesel School Bus Retrofit Program benefited buses serving at least 300,000 students in 300 communities.

The initiative seeks to reduce air pollution and children's exposure to diesel exhaust by cutting more than 27 tons of emissions per year.

The program upgraded school buses with funding from the state Department of Transportation and the federal government. It was offered to school systems and bus companies on a voluntary basis.

Breathing high concentrations of diesel emissions can cause minor ailments such as headaches, wheezing and dizziness. The contaminants also increase the risks of asthma and lung cancer.