Ban leafblowing in Harwich, MA

Running a leaf blower for 30 minutes creates more emissions than driving a F-150 pickup truck 3800 miles. About one-third of the gasoline that goes into this sort of engine is spewed out, unburned, in an aerosol mixed with oil in the exhaust. Those emissions—plus all the other fine-particulate crap that the blowers kick up—constitute a public health hazard for anyone in the vicinity. A gas blower at full cry can exceed a 100 decibels for the operator (OSHA requires hearing protections at 85), and it carries for hundreds of feet in every direction, irritating all who dwell therein. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who undertook a survey of more than 1,000 Boston-area residents and made hundreds of ambient sound readings to come up with her comprehensive 2016 Greater Boston Noise Report. Leaf blowers emerged as prime offenders in this document, particularly in the area’s outlying suburbs.