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Resident urges phased elimination of gasoline leaf blowers to protect mental and respiratory health
Summary
During public comment, resident and U.S. veteran Bill Astore urged the Board to adopt a 5–7-year phased plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate gasoline-powered leaf blowers, citing noise-related mental health harms and asthma impacts.
Bill Astore, a 12-year resident of Yarmouth and a U.S. Armed Forces veteran, used the public-comment period at the Board of Health meeting on June 1 to urge the Board to develop a 5–7-year phased plan to reduce and ultimately eliminate gasoline-powered leaf blowers.
Astore said he has observed noise used as a tactic in warfare and that noise harms mental health; he also said gasoline-powered leaf blowers worsen suffering for people with asthma. He asked the Board to consider a timeline to gradually restrict these devices to improve both mental and physical health outcomes in the community.
The Board did not take formal action on the request during the June 1 meeting; the public-comment record was noted and other agenda items proceeded.
