The Eugene-Springfield metro area has the second worst short-term particle pollution in the country. What should be done about it?

Ban gas-powered leaf blowers. 

These common tools pose a public health threat because they blow air pollutants — like fecal matter, pesticides, fertilizers, spores and lead — known to cause respiratory harm. 

Gas-powered leaf blowers concentrate pollutants in neighborhoods. Two-cycle engines contribute large amounts of carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter, diminishing air quality and creating health hazards for children, the elderly and immunocompromised residents. 

Noise pollution from these tools interferes with sleep, causes stress, hypertension and heart disease. These tools intrude on the lives of people who are exposed to air toxics and also bear the burden of disruptive noise — without our consent.

Rakes and brooms are both old-fashioned, simple and inexpensive replacements that are quiet and consume no resources. They stir up minimal dust and send scant debris into the atmosphere. And neither emits greenhouse gases. 

The tyranny of this hazardous machine must come to an abrupt halt. Stat. 

Eliza Murphy
Eugene