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WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
ABOUT LEAF BLOWERS
This and more information can be found
at www.zapla.org/health/h1.html
"Thermal inversions act like a lid
over the basin. Bright sunshine and warm temperatures cause some
pollutants to react with each other, forming even more pollution.
Different types and levels of air pollution can cause everything from
watery eyes and fatigue to respiratory disease, lung damage--even
cancer."
"Fine particles (GMOs
for example.) remain suspended in the air for long periods and
can travel great distances. PM10 may remain suspended for hours to
days in the atmosphere. These are emissions to which persons in the
near-downwind-vicinity would be exposed, for example, residents whose
lawns are being serviced and their neighbors, persons in commercial
buildings whose landscapes are being maintained or serviced, and
persons within a few blocks of the source."
The following general physical
reactions and discomforts associated with the use of blowers may be
created or intensified by the cumulative amount of blower emissions,
fuel spills, fugitive dust and noise
General Physical Reactions and
Discomfort
Headaches, dizziness, weakness and
nausea, constriction of airways, coughing, sore throat, reduction of
capacity of red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body, upset stomach
or ulcers, difficulty sleeping.
Noise can cause an upset stomach or
ulcer, contribute to premature birth of babies and to indifference. In
one study, when a lawnmower was running, no one stopped for a woman
needing help. When it was shut off, people hastened to help her.
And: Nasal allergy symptoms include
sneezing, itchy nose, eyes, ears and throat, clear, runny nasal
discharge, stuffy nose, red, watery eyes, and sore throats, coughing,
tiredness, stomachaches, headaches, and tenderness in cheeks and
forehead.
Related problems stemming from
allergies may be sinus infections (sinusitis), eye inflammation
(conjunctivitis) nasal polyps, ear infections (otitis media), asthma,
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
All of these, individually or together,
can bring about irritability and, therefore, behavior changes.
Asthma can be triggered by mold,
pollen, dust, pets, cold weather, and/or smoke, which cause the lining
of air passages in lungs to become inflamed and swollen. Symptoms can
be chest tightness, coughing, difficulty breathing, and/or wheezing.
The Children’s Environmental Health Network calls attention to the
fact that asthma "Affects 4.8 million people below age 18 in the
U.S. . . .Accounted for 198,000 hospitalizations under age 25 (in
1993)."
According to the Center for Disease
Prevention and Control (CDC), asthma is the most common chronic
illness in childhood. The annual hospitalization rate for asthma among
those under age 25 increased 28% (from 16.8 to 21.4 per 10,000
population) between 1980 and 1993. The annual age-specific asthma
death rate increased 118% (from 1.7 to 3.7 per million population)
between 1980 and 1993. (G6)
An "Asthma in America" survey
in 1998 showed that, in Los Angeles itself, 46% of asthmatic children
went to emergency rooms for asthma attacks in "the past
year". 44% of those surveyed in Los Angeles said attacks forced
them to miss school or work, compared w/ national average of 25%.
(Asthma in America) and (98.12.1)
50% of Los Angeles asthmatics are
limited in sports and recreation, 36% in normal physical exertion, and
29% are limited in social activities.
Pollens, dust, molds which have fallen
to or reside on the ground can be blown up and re-suspended over and
over again for periods long enough and for distances far enough to
carry them into homes and lungs of asthmatics.
11.8 million people in America are
affected by allergies that result in symptoms, which may be severe
enough to disrupt life. They make it difficult to concentrate and to
work. Allergies tend to run in families, and one in five children who
visit pediatricians has a major allergic disorder.
People who have never been allergic may
still develop symptoms after their own, individual tolerance level for
a particular allergen (commonly dust, mold, animal dander or bee
stings) or fumes such as perfume, has been exceeded at some point in
their life. (Note: Reactions to fumes such as perfume may be
considered as a "sensitivity" rather than a true
"allergic" body response.)
Type 2 allergies cause cerebral and
behavioral reactions, and can be caused by foods and odors from
inhalants or chemicals (including perfume, car exhaust, smoke), which
can cause or intensify brain malfunctions. An excess of exposure can
cause dizziness, confusion, irritability, frustration, fatigue, anger,
indifference, decreased concentration, lack of motivation, memory
loss, unusual sensitivity to sounds and odors, a feeling of spaciness,
slurred speech, difficulty in concentration, and minor personality
changes." Or more extreme reactions such as "Depression,
paranoia, extreme fatigue, hyperactivity, delusions, hallucinations,
panic, amnesia, blackouts, manic, phobic and violent responses."
House dust and house dust mites, microscopic molds, animal dander, fur
or feathers, tree, weed, and grass pollens and molds cause most common
Type 1 allergies. Blowers may distribute even mushroom spores through
a neighborhood. (Allergy Relief Program p.42)
Mold can cause both acute and long-term
serious effects. Stachybotrys fungus is one of hundreds of thousands
of outdoor fungi that can cause serious health problems, such as
migraine headaches, coughing, swollen eyes and fatigue when it moves
indoors, and reactions that can develop into asthma. (99.10.3) It
gives off toxic spores that can be inhaled, grows quickly in damp,
poorly ventilated places like heating ducts, sheet rock and crawl
spaces; In 1994, a link was found, with unusually high exposure,
between Stachybotrys atra and infant deaths from pulmonary hemorrahage
- hemosiderosis, or lung bleeding. (99.10.3) Blowers may introduce
these molds, along with dust and odors, into homes where damp
conditions could cause them to proliferate.
Eczema (rash, dry, or itchy skin) can
result from an allergic reaction to exposure to dust, pollens, molds
and animal dander, or from indoor and outdoor air pollution. It can
lead to serious skin lesions.
One researcher said, "Natural
environmental toxins have received little attention in the United
States. Now we have evidence these toxins can and do produce a
serious, sometimes deadly, illness in vulnerable infants."
(99.10.3)
Again, pollens, dust, molds and animal
dander which have fallen to or reside on the ground can be blown up
and re-suspended over and over again for periods long enough and for
distances far enough to create allergic reactions in people who are
far from blower activity, even bringing these allergens into nearby
homes. In addition, gasoline fumes may be so strong to passers-by and
neighbors as to be nauseating.
Nearly 6,000 Los Angeles residents a
year may die from lung or heart problems "aggravated by breathing
the gritty air pollution. . ." ". . More than die from auto
accidents, as well as AIDS and breast cancer, combined."
Particulates "are small enough to lodge in lungs and aggravate
respiratory and heart disease."
The above L.A. Times information from
environmental reporter Marla Cone stem from research by the Natural
Resources Defense Council, quoted below. (97.6.2)
The Natural Resources Defense Council
defines Particulate matter as the deadliest air pollutant. They used
research by Harvard and the American Cancer Society, and pollution
data from the Environmental Protection Agency for their report.
"Approximately 65,000 premature
deaths from cardiopulmonary cause may be attributable to particulate
air pollution each year." Estimated Annual Cardiopulmonary Deaths
Attributable to Particulate Air Pollution in the Los Angeles-Long
Beach area in 1989 was 33,825 vs 1,458 deaths from auto accidents.
These rates are the highest in the nation! (NRDC, APO.3) Both air
pollution and noise can increase blood pressure. In turn, the heart
rate and the rate of breathing are changed.
"Studies show that particulate
matter causes respiratory symptoms, changes in lung function. . .and
pulmonary inflammation. . .might precipitate fluid in the lungs in
people with heart disease. . .mediators released during an
inflammatory response could increase the risk of blood clot formation
and strokes." and PM10 exposure ". . .might also increase
susceptibility to bacterial or viral respiratory infections, leading
to an increased incidence of pneumonia. . . .In the presence of
preexisting heart disease, acute bronchiolitis or pneumonia induced by
air pollutants might precipitate congestive heart failure." (NRDC,
APO.4)
"Elevated concentrations of
ambient particulate air pollution have been associated with increased
hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease.. . . risk of MI
[myocardial infarction] onset increased in association with elevated
concentrations of fine particles in the previous 2-hour period. In
addition, a delayed response associated with 24-hour average exposure
1 day before the onset of symptoms was observed" American Heart
Association Abstract and (01.6.1).
Higher Mortality Rates: sudden infant
death syndrome: higher infant mortality rates. birth defects, genetic
mutations, premature birth, cancer, leukemia, have all been linked to
air pollution.
Among the basic human needs are rest,
silence, solitude (privacy). People need rest, silence and/or solitude
for relaxation, which is needed to become refreshed. All of these are
required in some degree in order to feel satisfaction and happiness.
(Human Factors)
Sleep is disturbed by blower noise,
long after the noise ceases. Rest and solitude, whether indoors or
outdoors, are interrupted by the need to move away from the fumes,
dust and noise of blowers. The resultant distress, frustration,
fatigue, and anger ". . .may seriously affect moods, attitudes
and eventual response to the environment. .." (Human Factors)
"There’s little doubt that noise
makes some people aggressive and less able to handle frustration. .
." (01.6.2) Behavioral allergic reactions to fumes and dust, mold
and animal dander produced and/or spread by blowers are noted above,
under Allergies.
The highest incidence of failure to
wear protective gear in any workplace is by landscape and yard
maintenance workers. Even where some semblance of gear is worn, it
seldom meets the minimum standard recommended by manufacturers and
OSHA.
A handkerchief, scarf or painter’s
mask may not protect workers from fugitive dust and its Particulate
matter. Respirator masks that have a secure fit, with no leakage where
dust can enter, are recommended.
Sunglasses do not offer the coverage or
strength of recommended wrap-around protective glasses or goggles.
The headset of a portable radio will
not protect hearing. Good earplugs, and/or ear-muff type protection
that fits correctly are recommended for the noise which may be as loud
as 100 decibels near the operator’s ears, even if the machine boasts
a much lower dB level "at 50 feet."
Leaf blower operators, themselves, are
the first, most frequently, and most highly exposed, to blower and
fuel pollution.
What is the answer? Simple, ban the
manufacturing and use of leaf blowers. Other intelligent communities
and cities are doing it. Are we smarter than they are? Or dumber? |
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