Experts sound alarm on deadly threat lurking within common household tool: 'A direct relationship with mortality'

Some landscaping companies are shifting away from one common tool due to its health and climate costs, according to the CBC. That's because a growing pile of data is highlighting the impacts of using two-stroke gas-powered leaf blowers.

Two-stroke engines are popular for their mechanical simplicity. Their design allows them to be compact, generating a high amount of power relative to the space they take up.

This has made them ideal for chainsaws and jet skis, but those applications have been phased out. This is because gas is not burned very efficiently in two-stroke engines, resulting in much higher emissions than normal four-stroke engines.

Yet, gas-powered leaf blowers have still been using two-stroke engines. One report, meanwhile, described an hour of use as equivalent to 15 hours of driving.

While that's bad news for the environment, it's even worse news for whoever's operating the leaf blower. The particulate matter pollution is harsh enough to lead to cancer, reproductive issues, and mental health problems, according to one study. That's before even looking at the threat of hearing loss from using such loud equipment for extended periods or the equity issues of lower-wage workers being subjected to such conditions.

"The PM2.5 in particular has a direct relationship with mortality," said emergency physician Dr. Joe Vipond. "The more you're exposed to [it] on an annual basis, you're going to have a higher-level of mortality."

The research has resulted in a swath of bans on gas-powered blowers, including in New Jersey. These efforts have seen opposition from industry, resulting in the Georgia Senate banning municipalities from banning gas appliances.

"We're seeing a powerful lobby of landscape companies that are actually pushing back against this," said environmental law professor Mark Nevitt. "[They] make quite a lot of claims about the transition costs … as you move from gas to electric."

Do you think governments should be stepping in to ban gas-powered landscaping equipment? Let us know your opinion in this poll.

Do you think governments should ban gas stoves? Heck yes! Only in new buildings Only in restaurants Heck no! Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

While regulations banning gas-powered blowers are the most direct way to address the issue, some landscaping industry members think it's possible to incentivize a switch with more carrot than stick.

"It should be more of a resident choice to choose companies that will do it the way they want it," said all-electric landscaper Sheldon Ridout.

"You have to have the people who do the hiring — property management groups, procurement groups … to get companies like mine in there, so that other companies go, 'Wait, I'm losing business to this guy because he's using battery-powered equipment.' That's your quickest change."

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.