It does not include exposure to automobile exhaust or airborne pesticides. In four of the six categories of pollutant, the single largest emitter in the state was within a mile of one or more schools. Eighteen different schools, with a combined enrollment of more than 10,000 children, were within one mile of the state's leading industrial emitters of carcinogens, reproductive toxins, heavy metals or nitrogen oxides. California fails to adequately monitor air pollution near schools. In 1995, more than 2.7 million California children attended schools that were located within one mile of reported emissions of air pollution, but not within a mile of a monitor.
Some schools are in areas where large amounts of multiple types of toxins are emitted.
This is certainly no fault of the school districts, but underscores the range of pollutants to which children may be exposed. These patterns are of particular concern because most existing state and federal environmental health standards are based on supposedly safe levels of exposure to individual chemicals, but not to a combination of toxins. Potential exposure to air pollution at school falls disproportionately on children of color. Demographic data for the 50 public schools near the highest amounts of carcinogens, reproductive toxins and heavy metals show that 76 percent of students were non-Anglo in 1995. Enrollment at the 50 public schools near the largest sources of NOx, SO 2 and PM was 71 percent non-Anglo.