I have to admit I'm one who is amused by the proposed leaf blower ban, but bemused as well. Here are my thoughts:
In Minneapolis and St. Paul, there are lots of other environmental issues that deserve higher priority than the work it takes to enact an ordinance that will ban-- and enforce a ban on--certain leaf blowers. A few worth mentioning are continued lead poisoning of children (regulations and funds could be enacted to require lead safe work practices when property owners repair chipping and peeling paint); the skyrocketing asthma rate among predominantly children of color (dramatically affecting attendance rates in schools); the hidden danger of radon in homes; carbon monoxide poisoning from faulty heating systems and the like; and so on and so on. I'm not an alarmist, to be sure, and I fully understand the notion of 'starting somewhere' and working on a list of concerns and slowly eliminating those concerns as significant hazards. But, starting or working on leaf blowers is bemusing. They are far down the list of important environmental concerns, and I'm not convinced that they have a truly significant effect on the environment other than the nuisance of their noise. If it is the nuisance factor driving this (and I suspect that it is, given the underinclusive nature of the ordinance with respect to two-stroke engines), than I contend that this smacks of a rather upper class concern and it will have that ultimate impact, in some ways similar to that of $400,000 homes receiving $100,000 of free windows, doors, and insulation for airport noise pollution. In other words, the City has bigger fish to fry if we are to protect kids from environmental hazards, particularly the kids who are the most vulnerable. Concentrating on leaf blowers as a factor in asthma is a distraction. I ask genuinely if supporters of this ordinance have really looked at the overall plan to reduce asthma rates in Minneapolis and understand the 'leaf blower' factor in that plan, if there is even nary a mention of leaf blowers. The zip code 55411, for instance, has the highest rate of inpatient asthma admissions in the entire state. Leaf blowers are far from the exacerbating factor that has led to this statistic. Other asthma triggers that are far more threatening are smoking in the home, pet dander, dust mites, and cockroach debris. Children of color, who are disproportionately affected by asthma attacks, deserve more regulatory effort to combat these factors--not work on a leaf-blower ban that will likely not affect much of anything for them. My question to supporters is this: Overall, how significant are the specific environmental concerns? That is, how much does the two-stroke leaf blower engine pollute and how much is the 'stirred-up' dust affecting asthma? Has this been quantified in any justifiable statistical way? Ultimately, I guess, what rankles me and causes slight apoplexy is the use or implication of environmental justice in all this, particularly the attempt to link leaf blowers to asthma (and some have also said lead poisoning). Sure, there may be a slight connection. But, be honest. This is about noise and nuisance, not concern about asthma in our children or exhaust or dust in the air. Gregory Luce St. Paul -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ben Jangula Sent: Friday, January 07, 2005 9:27 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Mpls] Leaf blowers They can have my leaf blower when they pry it from my cold, dead fingers. Ben Jangula Longfellow REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls REMINDERS: 1. Think a member has violated the rules? Email the list manager at [EMAIL PROTECTED] before continuing it on the list. 2. Don't feed the troll! Ignore obvious flame-bait. For state and national discussions see: http://e-democracy.org/discuss.html For external forums, see: http://e-democracy.org/mninteract ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[email protected] Subscribe, Un-subscribe, etc. at: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
