Earth Day: Leaf Blowers and the pandemic
There are many reasons to oppose leaf blowers: the excessive noise, the irritation, the kicking up of dirt and dust and debris, the spreading of animal waste, and the general stupidity of blowing stuff around. Now there may be a new reason: it is possible that there is a link between leaf blowers and Covid-19.
Two recent studies have demonstrated a correlation between Covid-19 deaths in communities with long-term high levels of fine particle pollution. One study was conducted at Harvard University; the other was conducted by researchers in Denmark and Italy.
The "stay at home" orders in all states have reinforced a new reality: American residential neighborhoods are often very noisy. [A recent] article from The New York Times discusses the leaf blower drama in many suburbs.
Some communities on the East Coast have already temporarily suspended the use of leaf blowers during this pandemic. In Michigan, landscaping services have been temporarily banned.
[A] section of our web site discusses lawn equipment noise. It includes a list of communities which have banned or restricted gas-powered leaf blowers.
Now is an excellent time to advocate for restrictions on noisy lawn equipment. Noise Free America: A Coalition to Promote Quiet has written a manual, "How to Fight Noise."
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | April 23, 2020 6:09 PM
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OP, you’ll get more a lot satisfaction on your knees—blowing.
| by Anonymous | reply 3 | April 23, 2020 3:57 PM
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I'll give you my leaf blower when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
| by Anonymous | reply 4 | April 23, 2020 4:37 PM
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Leaf blowers are regulated in the summer here, so as to minimally disturb the rich summer residents. Big deal, the leaves fall down in autumn, after the rich people leave on Labor Day. All autumn long it’s a headache.
| by Anonymous | reply 5 | April 23, 2020 5:38 PM
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I HATE leaf blowers. I live in a condo in West Hollywood and the sound is unreal when they go in between buildings. However, LA has now enacted that they must be electric which reduces the sound substantially. I've tried to educate the workers that they are breaking the law but either 1) they don't speak english or 2) they say go ahead and turn me in....pointless as by the time I would call the police (even if they would come) the workers would be long gone.
| by Anonymous | reply 6 | April 23, 2020 5:42 PM
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Wow, WeHo that just about says it all.
| by Anonymous | reply 7 | April 23, 2020 5:47 PM
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The type of fine particle pollution they are talking about comes primarily from combustion: cars, power plants, factories, and wildfires.
You don’t think there are a plethora of leaf blowers in NYC, do you?
| by Anonymous | reply 8 | April 23, 2020 5:50 PM
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Has Tony ever been to Staten or Long Islands or the ass end of Brooklyn?
| by Anonymous | reply 9 | April 23, 2020 6:09 PM
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