The negative impacts of leaf blowers
The noise is louder than is healthy for humans.
1- Noise
The World Health Organization affirms excessive noise can cause annoyance; in addition research shows it increases the risk for Ischemic Heart Disease and hypertension, sleep disturbance, hearing impairment, tinnitus and cognitive impairment, with increasing evidence for other health impacts such as adverse birth outcomes and mental health problems. The harmful sound emanating from a conventional 2 stroke gas-powered leaf blower is damaging to anyone in the surrounding community as well as the environment.
The loud, excessive, high-decibel noise generated by a 2 stroke gas-powered leaf blower has broader implications for the health of residents at home, walking by, distressing pets, and disrupting the concentration of kid’s learning. The health of thousands of Canadians is at risk, with children, whose auditory systems are still developing, among the most vulnerable.
If something sounds loud, it’s too loud and one’s auditory health is at risk
No More Noise Toronto report studies have shown, unwanted, harmful noise is the #2 urban environmental health hazard affecting our sleep, our bodies and our minds. Besides causing auditory damage, loud sound has been proven to increase behavioral problems in children, cognitive decline, reduce achievement and productivity.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists gas-powered leaf blowers and lawn mowers among the sources of loud noise that can damage hearing over time. Permanent noise-induced hearing loss can occur with just 15 minutes of exposure at the high decibel run level that most gas-powered leaf blowers operate. Short, impulsive, and long-term exposure to noise pollution has links to a host of health impacts, including diabetes, increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, metabolic disturbances, and exacerbation of psychological disorders.
These machines expose gardeners to toxic emissions and dangerous noise levels that can cause permanent hearing loss without proper protection. The health risks to workers using backpack gas leaf blowers are routinely overlooked.
Backpack gas leaf blowers subject gardeners to harmful exhaust and extreme noise, putting them at risk of long-term hearing loss and other serious health effects—often without adequate protection.
Gardeners operating backpack gas leaf blowers inhale toxic emissions and endure hazardous noise levels that can cause permanent hearing damage. These risks are well known yet routinely ignored.
Without proper protection, workers using backpack gas leaf blowers face toxic exhaust exposure and noise levels capable of causing irreversible hearing loss—an overlooked occupational health hazard.
Prolonged exposure to loud noise that can reach 90 decibels or more can result in auditory damage, ultimately reaching a point where permanent hearing loss becomes a possibility. The leaf blower operators, their ears besieged by the relentless roar of deafening noise levels, are almost assured of developing hearing issues such as Tinnitus, for which there is no known cure. It’s important to raise awareness about the risks and advocate for safer alternatives, such as electric or battery -powered leaf blowers, which are quieter and produce fewer emissions.
City of Toronto’s noise bylaw sets healthy decibel limit at 70 decibels (dB)A
To understand how loud a sound is, consider these common comparisons:
A normal conversation: 60 dB
Electric Blower: 60-78 dB
A vacuum cleaner: 70-80 dB
A typical car: 70-90 dB
4 stroke leaf blower: 80-95 dB (4 stroke engines run on gasoline )
Motorcycle: 91 dB
Rock concert: 106 dB
2-stroke leaf blower: 95 -110 dB (2 stroke engines run on mixture of gas and oil )
An emergency siren: 100-120 dB
Understanding Decibel Levels (dB)
One important factor to consider with leaf blowers is their noise output, which is measured in decibels (dB). The decibel is a unit used to measure sound intensity, and the scale is logarithmic—meaning even a small increase in dB reflects a large jump in actual sound energy. For example, a sound at 60 dB is twice as loud as 50 dB.
2- Pollution
These gas powered leaf blowers use an antiquated 2-stroke technology that has been phased out in nearly all areas-except yard work. The technology relies on a combustible mix of gas and oil, burning just 60% of its fuel, the rest is an unburned toxic aerosol, spewed into the atmosphere. The concentration of unburned gasoline in the exhaust calculates to almost 100 times the concentration in exhaust of today’s automobiles.
It’s tempting to assume the air is safe once a gardener finishes using a leaf blower—but research shows otherwise. Scientists warn that these machines emit high levels of harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases, with serious consequences for both human health and the environment.
According to the California Air Resources Board, (CARB) just 1 hour use of a typical 2 stroke gas-powered leaf blower emits the same amount of air pollution as driving a car from Toronto to Halifax—a staggering comparison.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency explains that the problem lies in the inefficient combustion of 2-stroke engines. Roughly 30% of the fuel is released unburned, emitting fine particulate matter (PM2.5) into the air.
These ultrafine particles enter the body through the lungs but translocate to essential organs and enter the bloodstream, causing pulmonary inflammation, inducing cough and worsening asthma… and even heart disease. On top of that, the exhaust contains a mix of known carcinogens, including nitrogen oxides, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide—all posing cancer risks.
The risks are highest for those operating the equipment and for anyone nearby—especially children, seniors, or individuals with preexisting conditions.
As communities continue to grapple with air quality and climate change, rethinking the use of gas-powered landscaping tools is an important step toward healthier, more sustainable urban environments.
Grams per hour comparison of the emissions from car and gas powered leaf blower.
Pollutants Car Emissions 2 Stroke Leaf Blower Emissions
Unburned Hydrocarbons (HC) 0.39 199.3
Carbon Monoxide (CO) 15.97 423.5
Particulates Matter PM) 0.13 6.43
Fugitive Dust from Blowing Debris N/A 48.6 to 1,031 (depending on surface)
(California Environmental Protection Agency)
Here’s a professional opinion.
Greg Evans, a professor in the department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto, an expert in the study of pollution, describes the environmental and health impacts of one gas-powered leaf blower and his concern about the exhaust fumes the worker breathes:
“Two stroke (cycle) engines are known to be high emitters of numerous air pollutants. One such pollutant is ultrafine particles, which are particles less than 100 nm in diameter. We measured the concentrations of these ultrafine particles at different distances from a single leaf blower that was operated at different powers.
The ultrafine particle concentrations generated by one specific leaf blower we tested exceeded a million particles per cubic centimeter; someone breathing this very polluted air would inhale over a billion of these particles with every breath.
Ultrafine particles are a strong indicator of emissions from combustion processes such as those that occur in the combustion engines of vehicles and planes. Though there are no ambient air quality guidelines for ultrafine particle exposure in Canada, however the World Health Organisation has proposed a one-hour high particle number ambient air quality guidelines for ultrafine particle exposure concentration “good practice” criterion of 20,000 particle/cm3;
The concentration that we measured for this specific 2 cycle gas leaf blower was 50 times higher than this World Health Organisation criterion.”
Greg J. Evans, Ph.D., P.Eng., Director, Institute for Studies in Transdisciplinary Engineering Education and Practice (ISTEP); Director, Southern Ontario Centre for Atmospheric Aerosol Research
3- Leaf blowers blast 200-mph air, stripping soil, killing insects, and spreading pollution.
• Shredding habitat: The force of the blast pulverizes what it hits into fine dust, stripping away leaf litter that insects, pollinators, and amphibians rely on for shelter, moisture, and overwintering.
• Destroying soil structure: High-velocity air compacts and erodes soil, reducing its ability to absorb water and support healthy plant life.
• Spreading pollutants: Gas-powered models spew fine particulate matter, unburned fuel, and toxic exhaust directly into the air we breathe.
• Disrupting ecosystems: Removing organic debris deprives birds and small mammals of food sources and exposes roots, seedlings, and microbes to damaging temperature swings.
• Accelerating carbon loss: Blowing away leaves—nature’s mulch—means more organic material goes to landfill instead of decomposing and enriching soil with carbon.
• Fueling noise pollution: The piercing soundscape disrupts urban wildlife communication, migration patterns, and breeding cycles.
