By Linda MacKay, TriCounty Watchdogs
USC’s Keck School of Medicine and other researchers are warning that tiny air pollution particles can be inhaled deep into the respiratory system. Studies show they are a danger to children with growing lungs. The particles accumulate to cause asthma and heart problems. The impact on children who live near freeways (or whose schools are adjacent to freeways) are a concern.
The TriCounty Watchdogs received a $25,000 grant from the Kern County Air Quality Mitigation fund to do air quality monitoring in the Mountain Communities. We are especially concerned about emissions from the thousands of vehicles that travel Interstate 5 across the Grapevine beside El Tejon School each day.
As president of the Watchdogs, I made a presentation to the El Tejon Unified School District board November 9.
I asked the trustees to allow my organization to monitor air quality on the El Tejon Middle School grounds. This is not the first time we have made this request. The board must approve monitoring on campus. So far we have not received the board’s approval.
In the spring of this year the TriCounty Watchdogs took approximately 20 samples to measure particulate matter 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5—one seventh the width of a human hair) near El Tejon School. We measured over a 24 hour period every 6 days for approximately 3 months. The good news is that results from those tests for PM 2.5 in the spring came back within a healthy range.
But PM 2.5 can pose a different risk in winter weather. The winter tule fog of the San Joaquin Valley captures PM 2.5. This pollutant measures dangerously high in places like Bakersfield during winter. The Watchdogs plan to measure PM 2.5 again during the winter months to see if the toxic fog of the valley reaches the area near El Tejon School.
This year the Watchdogs also did three separate tests to measure diesel soot near the school. The results from these tests showed unusually high levels of diesel pollution. Freeway emissions are hard to see, unlike obvious emissions bellowing from factory smoke stacks, but we’ve been told by our expert that freeway diesel could pose a cardiovascular health risk to those who are exposed.
Since three tests is a small sample, we plan to complete more diesel tests to see if the same level of diesel pollution is evident over different times of the year. We’d like to see exactly what the children and staff are exposed to where they work and play. We’d like to take air samples near the playground, ball fields and in the classrooms.
The TriCounty Watchdogs believe it is better to know than not to know if there is a problem.
There are measures that can be taken to protect the children and staff who work at the school if a problem with air quality is found at this site.
As parents and concerned community members, we would like to see the school board allow air monitoring on school grounds.
Members of the school board will be invited to reply to this OpEd.
This is part of the November 18, 2011 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
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