Westside Today, Sunday, July 4, 2004 (California)
Nearly 200 people have signed a petition calling for leaf blowers to be banned in the Bel Air/Roscomare Valley Neighborhood.
The petition "sign up" rate for homeowners and residents of the neighborhood was over 95% in favor of banning all leaf blowers (both gasoline and electric), according to campaigners. "The entire neighborhood is enthusiastically in favor of this ban on leaf blowers because it protects everyone's health and greatly improves the quality of life for all of us in our community," said Jim Heath, spokesman.
Campaigners have been warning residents of the risks associated with use of the equipment, especially the hazards of poisonous toxins being dispersed by leaf blowers. They recommend that anyone who is interested in finding out more should consult information contained in the "Zero Air Pollution Los Angeles" website (www.zapla.org/health/h1), which outlines the deadly respiratory and pulmonary diseases and illnesses that may be caused by leaf blowers. "This is fundamentally an educational and communication process," added Heath.
The campaigners want any ban to operate on a "community based, voluntary" basis, with the emphasis on each homeowner instructing their gardener not to use a leaf blower n to protect the health of both the homeowner and the gardener. They say that the work carried out by a leafblower can be done equally well with a rake, a broom and then finished with water from a hose with a high pressure nozzle.
If a gardener or a homeowner persisted in using a leaf blower then neighbors would be advised to report the violation.