A Quieter, Cleaner Acton

FAQ

Gas Leaf Blower Campaign Frequently Asked Questions

Didn’t we already have a gas leaf blower bylaw on last year’s Town Meeting Warrant?

Yes, that was a Citizen’s Petition that ultimately was returned to the Select Board for revision. The Select Board will bring a Warrant Article for a local bylaw to the 2025 Town Meeting.

What’s so bad about gas-powered leaf blowers?

Unlike car engines, the two-cycle gas engines used in leaf blowers burn both gas and oil while running. They do this inefficiently and incompletely: 25% of the fuel-oil mixture is emitted unburned while the machines also spew fine particles (PM2.5, or particulate matter of 2.5 micrometers or less), ozone-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and air toxins such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, and formaldehyde.

According to the EPA, the PM2.5  particles are 1/30 of the diameter of a single human hair. They can be inhaled deep into the lungs and cause serious health problems. Some may even get into the bloodstream. Gas-powered leaf blowers create unhealthy clouds of dust and debris that can include pollen, animal feces, fertilizers, pesticides, lead, asbestos, fine particulate matter, and more.  

Exposure to small particles can affect both your lungs and your heart. Numerous scientific studies have linked particle pollution exposure to

  • premature death in people with heart or lung disease
  • nonfatal heart attacks
  • irregular heartbeat
  • aggravated asthma
  • decreased lung function
  • increased respiratory symptoms, such as irritation of the airways, coughing or difficulty breathing.

People with heart or lung disease, children, older adults, minority populations, and low socioeconomic status populations are the most likely to be affected by particle pollution exposure, either because they are more sensitive or may have higher exposures.

from https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/particulate-matter-pm-basics

Two-stroke gas leaf blowers also emit low-frequency noise, which can easily pass through windows, walls, and fences. People can hear the drone and hum of gas leaf blowers from blocks away. Commercial versions emit 75 decibels of noise at 50 feet (the sound level of many vacuum cleaners) and 100 decibels at the machine (like a jackhammer or chainsaw nearby). 100 decibels is dangerous to human hearing and can cause hearing damage or hearing loss if exposure exceeds 15 minutes.

We all drive or ride in cars. Aren’t the emissions from cars just as bad? 

Numerous studies show that gas leaf blowers are thousands of times more polluting than automobiles. The California Air Resources Board reported that operating one for one hour produces emissions comparable to driving a Toyota Camry 1,100 miles — roughly the distance from Boston to Atlanta. Gas leaf blowers are not sold with the emissions control technologies that come standard in other gas-powered vehicles, such as passenger cars.

If we ban gas leaf blowers, what’s next? Snow blowers? Lawn mowers? Motorcycles? 

Although all gas-powered technologies emit noise and air pollution, the levels emitted by these blowers are generally far greater than those of any other home and commercial lawn or recreational equipment. A two-stroke gas leaf blower emits 300 times the hydrocarbons and 23 times the carbon monoxide of a pickup truck. Most modern snow blowers and lawn mowers, and all motorcycles, use cleaner four-stroke engines. They have lower environmental and health impacts and are thus less problematic than gas leaf blowers.

If I ask my landscaper not to use gas leaf blowers won’t that cost me more?

We cannot guarantee what a particular landscape service may charge, but in fact, it’s less expensive over time to use comparable battery-operated equipment. Landscapers do have to invest in electric tools and batteries, but the up-front costs are offset by the much lower cost of electricity (to charge batteries) compared to the cost of oil and gas to fuel the gas leaf blowers.

What chemicals do gas leaf blowers emit, and what are their impacts on health and the environment?

Gas leaf blowers emit benzene, 1,3 butadiene, and formaldehyde, which are among the top-ranking cancer-causing compounds. According to the World Health Organization and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, these molecules can cause lymphomas, leukemias, and other types of cancer. Gas-powered leaf blowers also emit fine particulate matter (PM 2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and nitrogen oxides (NOx). Chemical reactions between VOCs and NOx create ground-level ozone that can contribute to heart attacks, strokes, congestive heart failure, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancers, and negatively impacts plants, animals, and ecosystems.

Gas leaf blowers also produce carbon dioxide, a leading cause of the Climate Crisis.

Read more in this report: National Emissions from Lawn and Garden Equipment by Jamie L. Banks, PhD, MS and Robert McConnell, Environmental Engineer, US Environmental Protection Agency, Region 1. 

Have these emissions actually been tested and proven in a lab experiment? 

Yes. Edmunds InsideLine.com conducted studies in its lab to test the pollutants emitted by gas leaf blowers; see results here: Leaf Blowers Emissions Dirtier than High Performance PickUp Trucks. 

What is the noise level of gas leaf blowers, and what impact does that have on health?

Commercial gas leaf blowers operate at 90 or 100 decibels, which exceeds safe limits established by the World Health Organization. Shorter-term exposure to noise at this level can increase stress-related illnesses; over time, exposure will cause hearing loss and can cause serious cardiovascular issues. 

When people hear noise like that, there’s a stress response — and that’s a first line response that sets off in the body a physiological cascade that ends up resulting in damage to the blood vessels, which can cause or contribute to a lot of different diseases, be it heart disease, stroke, metabolic disturbances, and on and on.

Jamie Banks of Quiet Communities

Decades of scientific evidence show that noise causes or contributes to hearing loss … , annoyance, sleep disruption, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disturbances, and exacerbation of anxiety and depression. It also has adverse impacts on communication, activities, learning, productivity, and quality of life.

American Public Health Association: https://apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2022/01/07/noise-as-a-public-health-hazard
Where can I learn more?

Quiet/Clean Initiatives

ZME Science

MASSPIRG

WGBH

The Atlantic

SubStack

RealClear Energy

Scientific American

What other cities and towns are phasing out leaf blowers? 

Here’s a page showing all the cities and towns phasing out gas leaf blowers: