Leaf blowers - New regulation to protect health and promote sustainable development

BEACONSFIELD, QC, July 3, 2018 /CNW Telbec/ - Starting next year, the City of Beaconsfield will implement new regulations for electric and gas-powered leaf blowers in order to reduce their negative effect on human and animal health as well as on air and noise pollution.

"This new regulation aims at protecting health and supporting our sustainability efforts with a view to ensuring our quality of life, preserving our fauna and flora, and reducing air and noise pollution caused by the use of leaf blowers in the summer", explains Mayor Georges Bourelle on behalf of Municipal Council.

The guidelines for operating leaf blowers are initiated within the context of the wide range of actions undertaken by the City in recent years to preserve public health and help achieve the environmental targets determined by the governments of Canada and Québec. This applies in particular to improvements in waste management, guidelines for the consumption of drinking water, the protection of Angell Woods, restrictions related to harmful emissions from wood-burning appliances, the installation of electric charging stations and the acquisition of electric vehicles, the expansion of the cycling network, the promotion of active mobility, and urban densification.

Under the new regulation, leaf blowers will be allowed from October 1 to May 31. By steering their usage, the City of Beaconsfield minimizes the most important health risks and pollution problems caused by these tools while permitting them for spring cleaning and leaf pick-up in the fall.

Both types of leaf blowers (electric and gas-powered) generate decibel levels well above the limit (55 decibels) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Département de santé publique de Montréal (DSP). Electric leaf blowers generate an average of 80 decibels while gas-powered leaf blowers produce up to 115 decibels. The noise levels vary between 62 to 75 decibels at a distance of 15 metres (49 feet) from a leaf blower in use.

The blower emits air at a velocity varying between 240 to 450 kilometres per hour. The powerful and concentred air jets propel particles that are up to ten times finer than the limit of 2.5 micrometres established by the WHO, beyond which they may provoke cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and cancer. The ultrafine particles are composed of fecal matter, pollen, mould spores and various chemical substances (insecticides, herbicides, fertilizer, etc.).

Laboratory testing has further demonstrated that gas-powered two- and four-stroke leaf blowers release high pollutant emissions into the air; depending on the pollutants in question, the emission levels may be 6.8 to 300 times higher than those caused by an 8-cylinder truck engine. These findings show that, in terms of pollutant emissions, operating a leaf blower for 30 minutes is equivalent to driving a full-size pick-up truck for 6,255 kilometres (3,887 miles) under regular conditions.

According to WHO and DSP, air pollution is responsible for the premature death of 4.2 million people worldwide, and of 1,500 citizens in Montréal.

"The mission of the City that we are all proud of, and its sustainable development plan help ensure the health and safety of present and future generations of Beaconsfield residents," concludes Mayor Georges Bourelle.

SOURCE City of Beaconsfield