- GAS-POWERED LEAF BLOWERS CREATE DEAFENING NOISE
GLBs emit loud, deep, penetrating noise that disturbs the peace. GLBs typically emit noise ranging from 65 to 90 decibels at a distance of 50 feet away (the industry measurement). Plus, the antiquated design of 2-stroke gas-powered blowers makes their noise unusually penetrating _ walls and windows cannot block it. It’s like second-hand smoke – you can’t escape it. Worse, a worker standing next to a 2-stroke blower is exposed to as much as 115 decibels. Just how disturbing and harmful is it? The World Health Organization (WHO) says any outdoor noise of 55 decibels or greater is disturbing to people. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says noise interferes with speech and is annoying at 55 dBA for outdoors activities and 45 dBA for indoor activities. It is no wonder that so many people complain about GLB noise. The noise from GLBs reduces quality of life in both urban and suburban residential communities as well as in working environments.
But more than quality of life is at stake, as health may suffer too. The WHO and the EPA say noise of 85 decibels or greater can damage hearing. Other potential health consequences from excessive noise documented in medical literature include chronic stress, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, and impaired cognitive performance in children. Since GLB use is widespread and there is no limit on how many blowers may be operated simultaneously in the same area, many Virginians are exposed to their disturbing and potentially harmful noise. Young children are especially vulnerable, as are those who operate the equipment and are thus closest to the noise.
The adverse effects of noise have economic ramifications. A study from the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Valuing Quiet: An economic assessment of US environmental noise as a cardiovascular health hazard, (2015) (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4819987/), suggests that a 5 decibel reduction in overall environmental noise would reduce the prevalence of hypertension in the U.S. by 1.4 percent and coronary heart disease by 1.8 percent, with projected annual estimated savings of $3.9 billion in hospitalizations and other medical care. As such, it would appear that banning GLBs may constitute a potentially cost-effective preventive health measure, particularly in areas where they are widely used.
Watch this video from The Atlantic.
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