To the Editor:

As supporters of Quiet Princeton, we add our voice to the cry to ban gas-powered leaf blowers. That they are deafeningly noisy, produce poisonous pollutants, and blow fine particulates of all sorts into our air is well documented as are the potential solutions — electric blowers, raking, letting leaves mulch on the lawn, and so on. Action against these awful contraptions is long overdue and needs to be swift in commission. It is indeed good news that Princeton’s Board of Health is taking this issue seriously and the prospect of an ordinance to limit their use is more than welcome.

However, it should be noted that the use of gas-powered leaf blowers extends well beyond summer. They are now commonly used year-round. Therefore, the health of our citizens also needs to be protected year-round.

As one recent correspondent pointed out, they are used as snow blowers in the winter. But it doesn’t end there. Building contractors use them for cleaning up small amounts of debris, often pushing a couple of shovels full of dirt the length of their site creating clouds of dust as they go. Cleanup in our public parks is handled in a similar way. They are used for leaf cleanup from fall, sometimes into winter. Men on roof tops commonly use them to clean gutters at almost any time of the year.

We urge our fellow citizens to support any ordinance that reduces the use of gas leaf blowers and to support a wider ban. Remember, our health is still affected well outside of summertime.

Robert and Laurie Hebditch
Hickory Court