Banning gas-powered leaf blowers will improve the health of town residents and workers, clear the air of toxic pollution,
and eliminate the ear-blasting noise that disrupts neighborhoods, according to the League of Women Voters Huntington.
The leadership of the League has voted to support a ban on the blowers that has been proposed by Huntington Town Council members
Dave Bennardo and Sal Ferro. A hearing on the proposal will take place on Tuesday, July 9, at 2 pm at Town Hall.
According to the statement approved by the League, gas leaf blowers
endanger public health and cause air pollution that contributes to climate change. They are a particular hazard to the landscape workers who use them constantly. A worker or
homeowner using a gas leaf blower is exposed to a noise level of 100 decibels, as loud as a jack hammer breaking pavement.
That level of noise can not only cause deafness and tinnitus but can also affect mental health and normal brain functions,
disrupt sleep, and cause heart problems and high blood pressure. As far away as 800 feet from the blower operator, the sound
level of blowers is still above the safety level recommended by the World Health Organization.
In contrast, battery-powered blowers emit between 65 and 70 decibels and have enough power to do the same job.
Gas leaf blowers are also a major contributor to air pollution and a particular danger to people, including children, who
suffer from asthma and other lung problems. They emit toxic air contaminants, fine particle pollution, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx),
and other smog-forming pollutants. Their 100-year-old technology requires a mix of oil and gasoline that does not burn completely.
In fact, a mere half hour of yard work with a two-stroke, gas-powered leaf blower emits the same amount of pollution as driving
a Ford F-150 Raptor truck from Texas to Alaska. Use of a blower for 1 hour produces as much pollution as 15 cars driving in your
neighborhood for an hour. California is
phasing out gas-powered leaf blowers,
banning their sale this year, after discovering
that gas leaf blowers and related lawn care equipment
emit more ozone pollution
than all of California's tens of millions of cars,
combined.
The proposed ban would prohibit use of the gas blowers next year between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and completely bar their use in 2026.
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