Sunday, July 1, 2012

Putting it all together

The previous five posts (see below) laid out the basics about the health threat leaf blowers pose in a densely populated suburban setting like Arlington:
  • Pour dangerous chemicals on yards, many of which already have lead contaminated soil,
  • Direct hurricane force winds of 250 mph at the soil, raising contaminants into the air,
  • Watch as the various health hazards form a dust cloud which spreads beyond your yard, goes through open windows, lands on children's toys, etc.
If your neighbor tossed a bunch of lead paint chips over the fence into your yard, we all know enough to be upset about it. If your neighbor spread a bunch of carcinogenic, development inhibiting and endocrine disrupting materials in your child's sandbox we'd all be outraged.

Yet many of us think nothing about allowing a similar scenario to play out daily because those health hazards come in convenient bags with photos of kids playing ball on a beautiful green yard. Most of us aren't aware of the health warnings lawn chemicals have.

People are well within their rights to use these and other chemicals on their lawns, in their homes, etc., but that right ends at property boundaries - you cannot spread these chemicals on your neighbor's yard. Leaf blowers violate this, spreading these potentially hazardous items across the neighborhood.


Previous five posts referenced above:

  1. Hurricane Force Winds
  2. Keep Off the Grass
  3. High Lead Levels in Arlington
  4. Lead part II: "There is no safe level of blood lead in children."
  5. Pollen, Mold, Feces and Lung-Lodging particulates


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4 comments:

  1. Don RickterJuly 18, 2012 at 12:27 PM

    Congratulations on your concern for health and your compiling of relevant information.
    After reading quickly, I have a question:
    Why are leaf blowers OK in October and November? Don't they have most of the same negative qualities that they have in September?

    I oppose their unnecessary noise, their use to remove valuable grass clippings from the soil, and their contribution to global climate change.

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    Replies
    1. Jeremy MarinJuly 18, 2012 at 9:28 PM

      Thank you for the question Don.

      We (the authors of this blog) aren't suggesting that leaf blowers are less hazardous certain times of the year.

      Town Meeting was originally presented with complete ban (year-round.) Several Town Meeting Members (neither of the authors) met and crafted a compromise warrant article which allows use of leaf blowers when leaves are actually on the ground, and that is what passed.

      We do support compromise as a general rule. Many people felt a year-round ban was not tenable at this time, and we respect the compromise that was offered and was passed by Town Meeting.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJuly 19, 2012 at 2:23 PM

    Jeremy, I certinaly appreciate the health concerns regarding dust and noise generated by blowers. If the ban was issued under a health based bylaw (ie. other than noise) and supported by an air qualty study and risk assessment in Arlington proving there is a measurable and detrimental risk, I would vote for the ban. But frankly, given the ban is under the noise bylaw, in principle, risk posed by dust is not legally relevant in this case and should not be considered in voting. Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. AdamJuly 23, 2012 at 7:11 PM

      We tend not to stand on ceremony at Town Meeting, and I generally think that is a good thing.

      For instance, if someone makes a motion that is somehow incorrect, the Moderator will generally help the speaker to fix it.

      We are reasonably forgiving of the small stuff, and try to focus on the merits of things.

      In this case, although you are entitled to your opinion, I suggest it does not matter a whole lot in which section or paragraph the bylaw is printed.

      Delete

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