Traffic Impacts Health of City Students, Studies Find

Students at Berkeley's Cragmont, Thousand Oaks and John Muir elementary schools are more likely to experience aggravated respiratory problems than other students, according to two related studies released last year.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment in October deemed students at the schools-which are near high-traffic areas-about 7 percent more likely to experience heightened symptoms of asthma and bronchitis.

A parallel study, which used data from the California Department of Education, Caltrans and the California Department of Transportation, accompanied the October report and identified 7 percent of the state's schools as being at a risk similar to the one facing the three Berkeley schools: All are located within 500 feet of a road that sees between 25,000 and 50,000 cars per day.

The first study also concluded exposure to traffic pollution disproportionately affects racial minorities and low-income students, said report co-author Bart Ostro.

"There does seem to be an environmental justice factor," he said.

Researchers began the study by asking 1,100 students at 10 East Bay schools to respond to a health questionnaire about recent asthma and bronchitis symptoms, Ostro said.

Respondents answered questions about demographic variables such as family history and whether their homes were air conditioned, he said.

Levels of air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide, ozone, carbon and lead were then measured by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Pollution levels at schools near heavier traffic were higher than those of schools farther away.

"Our findings support the hypothesis that traffic-related pollution is associated with respiratory symptoms in children," the study concluded.

Some officials said there are mitigating factors that may reduce risk.

"During the school day, it's pretty quiet," said Berkeley Unified School District spokesperson Mark Coplan.

Tags: