There are few things more fundamental to quality of life than clean air and peaceful neighborhoods.  To ensure these things, Palo Alto has had an ordinance since 2005 which bans gas powered leaf blowers in residential neighborhoods, in order to spare gardeners and bystanders from the noise and toxins from these machines. 

However, Palo Alto is not enforcing this law.  While Palo Alto has received >250 complaints about gas powered blowers this year, it has issued ZERO warnings and ZERO citations in the entire city over the entire year.  Furthermore, Palo Alto’s 311 app states directly that it will not pursue any gas blower complaints.

Enforcing this law would be win/win/win:

• It would mean quieter neighborhoods
• It would protect gardeners’ health; gardeners should not have to risk hearing loss or long-term lung disease from servicing our lawns
• It would be better for our planet and our community's health.  The CA Air Resources Board states that as of this year, total smog-forming emissions from small engines such as leaf blowers will exceed those from passenger cars.  To ensure clean air and a sustainable future, one of the top things Palo Alto can do is to enforce its 16-year-old ban on gas powered blowers.

We respectfully request that Palo Alto enforce the gas leaf blower ordinance, after appropriate warning to homeowners and gardeners.

We ask that the City make enforcement proactive, rather than purely complaint-driven, by reinstating a dedicated community-service officer as was done in the past.  The cost of this would be minuscule (less than one-hundredth of one percent of the City budget, or possibly revenue positive if fines are collected).  These costs are negligible compared to the huge benefits to the community -- allowing Palo Altans to enjoy peace in their homes and clean air in their neighborhoods, as well as helping to protect the planet for our children.

Here is more detail why enforcement is critical:

1. Gas leaf blowers are extremely loud.  The low frequency noise from these machines can travel over multiple city blocks and penetrate construction walls. The noise from a single blower can extend to 100 homes or more, depending on the density of the neighborhood, and this noise can cause stress, poor concentration, impaired sleep, and a range of health problems.  According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), “there is overwhelming evidence that exposure to environmental noise has adverse effects on the health of the population.”

This noise is particularly problematic for retired people, day sleepers, people working from home, or children playing in the neighborhood, who do not deserve to be subjected to this relentless noise.

Worst of all is the effect on gardeners themselves.  Gas powered leaf blowers can generate noise exceeding 100 dBA at the operator's ear.  Gardeners often use these devices without adequate protective equipment, for intervals far exceeding OSHA guidelines, and this puts them at risk of hearing damage or deafness.

2. Toxic fumes emitted by gas powered leaf blowers are a health hazard.  According to the CA Air Resources Board (ARB), a gas powered leaf blower used for just an hour of yard work emits as much smog-forming pollution as driving a 2017 Toyota Camry 1100 miles -- more than driving from Palo Alto to Vancouver, British Columbia!  Furthermore, while a car disperses its pollutants over long stretches of road, a blower concentrates its pollutants in one area, where children may be playing or residents enjoying their homes.

The two-stroke engine in leaf blowers uses a gas-oil mixture that is especially toxic compared to automobile emissions.  Exhaust pollution from two-stroke engines is a large contributor of carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons, and particulate matter (PM).  Combustion exhaust PM remains suspended in the air for hours or days and is easily assimilated in the lungs. The EPA and ARB state that such PM can increase the number and severity of asthma attacks, bronchitis and other lung diseases and reduce ability to fight infections (e.g., COVID!), particularly in children and the elderly.  The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has reported that exposure to particulate matter is an important contributing factor in hundreds, perhaps thousands, of deaths in the Bay Area each year.

3. Gas leaf blowers can blast air at hurricane-force speeds of 200 mph, which stirs up particulate matter composed of dust, pesticides, fertilizers, fecal matter, spores, and street dirt including lead and carbon.  According to an analysis by Orange County, a single gas blower sweeps up 5 lbs of particulate matter per hour into the air, and it takes hours to settle.  Leaf blower operators, residents, and bystanders breathe in these particles, adding to the health risks incurred from the exhaust pollution.

 

Palo Alto has agreed as a community for 16 years that gas leaf blowers should not be used in our neighborhoods.  Homeowners and gardeners who utilize these devices are externalizing the noise and pollution onto other citizens, who do not wish to bear this cost.  For the health and well-being of our community, we ask that the City rectify this.

Enforcing this ordinance is particularly urgent during this time of COVID, when many citizens are working from home, walking and exercising in our neighborhoods, and attempting to gain respite from the pandemic.  During this time (and always), Palo Alto citizens deserve peaceful enjoyment of their homes, which is difficult to obtain with the near constant onslaught of illegal gas blowers in every neighborhood, nearly every day of the week.

We encourage the Council to take action quickly to proactively enforce this law and to protect the community from illegal noise and pollution.