Washington DC, the State of California and 168 other municipalities have banned gas leaf blowers … is Philly next?
Philadelphia resident, John G.
Outdated technology inefficiently burns a slosh of oil and gasoline and pumps out much of the unburned fuel as toxic aerosols.
Gas leaf blowers contribute to asthma, COPD, heart attacks, cardiovascular disease and early death.
Gas blowers’ low-frequency noise penetrates through solid walls and farther than other machine-generated sound waves.
This is a racial, immigration and environmental justice issue.
Gas leaf blowers expose laborers to unusually high levels of carcinogens, including benzene, butadiene, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, particulates, and poly-aromatic hydrocarbons.
Ongoing use creates significant risk of irreversible hearing loss.
Chestnut Hill resident, Elaine R.
Many traditional landscaping businesses purchase the cheapest available equipment while laborers, neighbors and the planet bear the costs.
Appealing to individuals is unlikely to compete with inertia, cheapness and widespread availability of gas blowers.
Philadelphia has been slow to adopt electric lawn equipment compared to 170 municipalities that have banned gas blowers.
It’s reliable, with lower costs over several years. Ask your friends in Washington DC, California and Princeton.