Students Research Asthma Problems In Back Of The Yards Neighborhood

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Students at an elementary school in the Back of the Yards neighborhood have been working to research the asthma problem in their community.

On Monday, junior high students at James Hedges Elementary were installing "no idling" signs around their school, after research found vehicle exhaust is a major problem in the area.

The students said they believe that vehicle exhaust contributes to a high rate of asthma, citing research that found asthma was the leading chronic cause of absenteeism for students, accounting for more than 13 million missed days of school.

"We hope that maybe if we can try and bring this down, this won't be much of a problem," Angelica Cortez said.

The students have set up a blog to share the findings of the Hedges Elementary Student Media-based Asthma Research Team.