More Reasons to Hate Leaf Blowers

There are lots of excellent reasons why leaf blowers should be banned, and these reasons vastly outweigh the benefit that leaf blowers offer. Leaf blowers are incredibly loud, so loud that they make it impossible to work, think, use the phone, make love, nap, or simply enjoy autumn when they're near. Leaf blowers scatter pollen, dust, and bacteria that would otherwise be washed away in the next rain. Leaf blowers especially damage the hearing of the workers who use them day in and day out. (Hearing protection isn't sufficient to prevent leaf blower induced hearing loss.)

Here are some recent observations about leaf blowers.  As you can see from the photo on the right, one person using a leaf blower decided that it would be a good idea to surround a fire hydrant with the leaves. 

In my own neighborhood a leaf blower was practicing his craft at 9:15am on Thanksgiving morning. But that was nothing compared to what this Chevy Chase, DC resident experienced last Saturday. Writing on the Chevy Chase Listserv, she reported, "At 7:15 this morning the leaf blowers started at a house on Pinehurst Circle. If I had known it was not allowed I would have reported it. I did call the agent of the house (it is for sale) to ask her to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Another Chevy Chase resident lamented, "This morning, the crew from Johnson's Landscaping began operating their gas engine leaf blower across the street at 8:15 am, an hour and 45 minutes before making noise on Saturday is legal here in Barnaby Woods. This is not an isolated incident. It woke my wife (who is ill) and my next door neighbor's infant daughter. When my neighbor and I complained, the crew was aggressive and didn't seem to care that they were violating the law."

And I almost forgot: the hot 180 mile per hour wind that leaf blowers produce is really bad for lawns. The companies that deploy leaf blowers don't want you to know that.

Zoo Semi-Apologizes for Loud Party

Last Friday, the National Zoo hosted a party that so loud it could be heard for blocks. Neighbors complained on the Cleveland Park Listserv and to the Zoo director, pointing out that not only was the noise bad for the neighbors, but it must have been disturbing for the animals.  The Zoo sent a letter to the neighbors, a semi-apology, claiming that the incredibly loud event did "not stress our animals," and that the Zoo won't hold any events past 11pm every again "except in rare and extraordinary circumstances" because "the Zoo must seek revenue generating events."

The Zoo noted that it gave "our outdoor animals the option of staying outside or choosing their indoor shelter." I wonder how the option to stay indoors was presented to the animals. Before the party started?  Once the loud noise began?  Not that it really mattered because this party was so loud that it penetrated homes blocks away.

Here is the text of the Zoo director's letter:

Dear Neighbor,

On behalf of the Smithsonian's National Zoo, I would like to apologize for any disturbance caused to you or your household stemming from our Halloween event, Night of the Living Zoo, held on Friday, October 29, 2010. We pride ourselves on our good standing in the community and regret any inconvenience we may have caused.

I assure you that the event did not stress our animals. Their safety and well-being are our primary concern, and our professional staff and experienced interpreters were present during the event to provide ongoing assessments. As a follow-up, I have requested a specific animal care report to address the neighbor concerns raised this weekend. This report indicated that our animals displayed no signs of stress throughout the weekend. Our diurnal animals remained asleep and nocturnal animals seemed unconcerned by the noise outside. We give our outdoor animals the option of staying outside or choosing their indoor shelter.

Noise at the Zoo: Neighbors Complain About Loud Party Friday Night

Last night's Night of the Living Zoo Halloween party prompted several neighbors to complain about the event's very loud noise. At around 10pm Friday the event's noise reached intolerable levels, according to some Woodley Park residents. Here is what some people reported on the Cleveland Park Listserv:

At the risk of seeming like a killjoy, the music from tonight's Halloween party at the zoo is making our house shake and our heads hurt.

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I was really surprised when the person I spoke to said, "It's out of our hands. This is the Director's party" I was told there was absolutely nothing they could do, that I should speak to the Director's office or his Public Affairs office, both of which are obviously closed. I have lived on this street for about 10 years and have never had this kind of noise from the zoo. If anyone knows who I can write to on Monday - or call tomorrow - I will!

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Agreeing with the neighbors, this is unbearable. It's never been like this before. I can't imagine that the animals like it either.

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I can't believe that the Zoo leadership and vets condoned that level of noise. To me, it's animal torture and inexcusable. I just sent an email to the head of FONZ saying I thought the neighbors were owed an abject apology and a promise that it'll never happen again.

What's So Bad About Leaf Blowers? We'll Tell You

The National Society of Engineering, a part of the National Academy of Sciences, recommended last week that American become a quieter place. Not only can loud noises, such as leaf blowers, cause hearing damage, but noise can cause cardiovascular problems, mental health issues, and decreased task performance (which is to say,  you can't work while a leaf blower is going on.) Heart risks? Yes, noise can lead to heart problems. Leaf blowers are, of course, worse for people who use them hour after hour: Hearing protection is often non-existent or inadequate for yard workers.

We'll say it again: Ban leaf blowers in the District of Columbia. It makes little sense to chase a few leaves with a 180 mile per hour wind being propelled by a 70 decibel machine, when a quiet rake will do the job just as well.

Pediatricians support leaf blower bans, too. The New York Times reports:

Supporters of the bans have letters from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine’s Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit that say gas-powered leaf blowers pose multiple health threats. They include spreading airborne particles, which can provoke asthma and other respiratory diseases, and potential pollutants like ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons. Hearing damage from the engine noise, and eye injuries from pebbles and twigs propelled by blowers are also cited.

Another big problem with leaf blowers is that they also often travel in herds. Sure, you can find the solitary leaf blower, but when they're in groups of two of more, the volume is off the scale.

Dr. Andrew Weil had this to say about leaf blowers:

It goes without saying (but must be said anyway), that leaf blowers pose [a] threat to the health and hearing of the untold numbers of landscape workers who use them on a daily basis, in most cases without adequate protective equipment, for intervals that far exceed OSHA guidelines. Unfortunately, the workers themselves tend to exaggerate the benefits and deny the risks of blowing leaves with machines, which they strongly favor over rakes, for reasons that probably have more to do with symbolism than practicality.

The phenomenal proliferation of leaf blowers has far more to do with marketing than efficiency; indeed, when all the real costs are factored in their alleged benefits don’t even begin to justify their penalties and risks. Cheap to produce, priced to sell, and aggressively marketed, the real function of leaf blowers is to rake in money for the huge corporations that manufacture them.

Banning leaf blowers sounds radical, but it's not. Leaf blowers are relatively new on the American scene and hardly existed before 1980. Some California communities have banned them without the world ending and the District of Columbia can, too.

Frito-Lay SunChips Recalled, But Not For the Usual Reason

This has to be the strangest recall in American history. And the history of the world. And for all time, too.

Frito-Lay SunChips have been recalled because they're too noisy. It's not the chips, actually, but the bag that's louder than you can possibly imagine. Frito-Lay tried to do the right thing by creating a completely biodegradable bag made of plant-based material. But who knew that plants could be so loud? I have a few house plants and they're the quietest things in my house. These bags are so loud, that Frito-Lay reports an 11 percent drop in the sale of SunChips. Yes, really. Watch this video and you'll see, um hear for yourself:

Ban Leaf Blowers in DC

Once autumn takes hold, leaf blower season will be in full bloom.

It's time to ban leaf blowers.

When leaf blowers were first used, fewer people worked at home, and fewer people were disturbed by the 70+ decibel level of most gas-powered leaf blowers. That's 70+ decibels at 50 feet; it's a lot louder when you're walking right by one. When a leaf blower is in action nearby, it's hard, sometimes impossible, to think. Can you imagine a leaf blower being used in an office hallway while people are working? No way would that ever be allowed to happen during work hours.

Leaf blowers destroy the beauty of autumn.