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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Gas-powered leaf blowers, which simultaneously
3harm our health and environment, continue to be popular today;
4although gardeners and landscapers love the efficiency of
5these devices, educating consumers about the use of these
6blowers is important in order to enhance our health and lower
7toxic air pollutants in our everyday environment; and
 
8    WHEREAS, The most noticeable consequence of gas-powered
9leaf blowers is the ear-piercing noise, which is not only
10annoying for neighbors but also harmful for our health;
11according to a 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
12report, leaf blowers create a common noise that can contribute
13to permanent hearing loss; additionally, noise pollution can
14cause stress, headaches, difficulty sleeping, productivity
15loss, higher heart attack rates, and more; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Even worse than the irritating noise produced by
17leaf blowers are the health effects created by particulate
18matter and exhaust gas released into the air; as leaf blowers
19generate wind speeds of around 180 miles per hour, they propel
20into the air potentially hazardous substances, such as dirt,
21mold, pollen, animal feces, and pesticides; exposure to these
22dust clouds, which take hours to settle, damages the human
23respiratory system and may cause irritation, allergies, and

 

 

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1disease; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Gas-powered leaf blowers are detrimental to the
3environment; most gas-powered leaf blowers use a two-stroke
4engine, which burns fuel very inefficiently and releases all
5of its tailgate emissions directly into the environment; the
6emitted air pollutants include carbon monoxide, which
7contributes to ground-level ozone, nitrous oxides, which
8contribute to smog formation and can cause acid rain, and
9hydrocarbons, which can be carcinogenic; and
 
10    WHEREAS, The environmental impact of gas-powered leaf
11blowers must not be underestimated; one study showed that
12under normal usage conditions, a leaf blower two-stroke engine
13emits nearly 300 times the hydrocarbons of a pickup truck, 93
14times the hydrocarbons of a sedan, and many times as much
15carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides; if a pickup truck was
16driven for 3,900 miles, the amount of hydrocarbons emitted
17would be equivalent to using the two-stroke leaf blower for
18only about half an hour of yard work; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL
20ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we encourage people to
21research alternatives to using a gas-powered leaf blower to
22reduce the negative impact these devices have on our health
23and environment.