From time-to-time there have been guest editorials at the Lake Oswego Review (and other towns in the region) on the banning gas-powered leaf blowers. The most recent take from Martin Donahue, a local physician, takes on a different angle. The author submitted his testimony to the Lake Oswego City Council and requested it be printed on the Opinion page. My name is Martin Donohoe. I am a resident of Lake Oswego, parent and physician. I did my training at UCLA, Harvard and Stanford, have written a textbook on public health and social justice, and lecture nationally and internationally on several topics related to environmental health.
I am here to ask this city council to ban gas-powered leaf blowers because of the significant risks they present to public health. Pollution from gas-powered blowers takes two forms: noise and air.
Noise pollution produces auditory and non-auditory effects. Decibel levels of gas leaf blowers exceed safe levels up to a radius of 800 feet and contribute to hearing loss, tinnitus, stress and depression, due to the isolation consequent to hearing loss. Non-auditory effects include disturbance, annoyance, cognitive impairment (particularly in children), sleep disturbance and hypertension. Occupational and environmental epidemiology studies have shown a higher prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular disease and mortality where there is chronic noise exposure.
In terms of air pollution, gas blowers produce high levels....
Read the whole testimony for free at the Lake Oswego Review.
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