Archives



Leaf blowers: the science is in

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Sonoma Valley Sun

leaf blower

While we are debating and, hopefully, passing a ban on leaf blowers, “Scientific American” published an in-depth article (August 2015) that citied leaf blowers in the top tier of machines that cause hearing loss.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention studied the correlation between the increase in leaf blower use and the increase in allergies and respiratory ailments. Charting the correlation over a 13-year period, the two lines rise so close together on a graph that the relationship is indisputable. Some people compare a strong wind to a leaf blower, but that is inaccurate. The speed of a leaf blower is in the range of 180 miles per hour. Any wind moving at that speed is a Category 5 hurricane!

And, often overlooked are the CO2 emissions. Gas-powered leaf blowers emit more CO2 than most cars. One test pitting a Ford Raptor against a leaf blower determined that, in all cases, the leaf blower emitted more than twice the amount of CO2 into the atmosphere than the truck.

In summary, leaf blowers blow at hurricane 5 speeds, emit twice the CO2 of a two-ton truck, cause hearing damage and loss, increase allergy and respiratory ailments, and are clearly an environmental hazard. At this point, more information is not needed. Leadership is needed. I encourage the Sonoma City Council to safeguard our health and ban all leaf blowers in the city of Sonoma.

 Georgia Kelly, Sonoma



One thought on “Leaf blowers: the science is in

Comments are closed.


Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA