To the Editor –
One of the great strengths of New Canaan is our commitment to the health and well being of residents, including vulnerable groups such as children, seniors and people with chronic health conditions. For this reason, I’d like to highlight an overlooked health risk that we as a town have a great opportunity to address – gas powered leaf blowers.
Many people assume the environmental impact of a gas powered leaf blower is minimal. In reality, the small two-stroke engines used in gas-powered blowers produce astonishingly high levels of air pollution. Unlike modern automobiles or lawn mowers, these engines burn a mixture of gasoline and oil and release a significant portion of it unburned into the air. The result is toxic exhaust that contributes to smog forming emissions and local air pollution, increasing the prevalence of asthma and other respiratory diseases. Even worse, the unburned hydrocarbons from leaf blower motors are medically proven carcinogens. When multiple landscaping crews operate blowers for hours across a neighborhood, as they frequently do in New Canaan, the cumulative effect on air quality is significant. Residents and workers alike are exposed to the toxic exhaust fumes.
Communities across the country, including many in Fairfield and Westchester Counties have begun addressing this issue by restricting gas leaf blower use and transitioning toward quieter, non-polluting electric equipment for routine landscaping tasks.
Restricting the use of gas leaf blowers during the summer season, as written in New Canaan’s current draft ordinance under consideration, represents a practical step toward cleaner air and a healthier environment for everyone who lives and works in our town.
Residents who support action to protect the health of our families and our community members should contact the New Canaan Town Council at tcdistribution@newcanaanct.gov and encourage them to adopt the proposed leaf blower ordinance.
Irene Hendricks
