Residents urge Madison to restrict gas-powered leaf blowers, citing health concerns

Three residents urged the council to adopt a prohibition or phased restriction on gas-powered two-stroke leaf blowers, citing pollution, worker safety and community health.

Colette Kreskis (speaker 18) told the council the devices emit "carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, benzene, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and particulate matter" and said children and workers are particularly vulnerable. "Our community deserves the same health protection" as nearby municipalities with bans, she said, citing Maplewood and Montclair as precedents.

Brian Mortensen (speaker 15) clarified a technical detail: the popular handheld units are run on a gasoline/oil mix and so produce oil particulates as well as exhaust. "The term gas powered leaf blower is very misleading because they take an oil mix," he said.

Bridgette Daley (speaker 19) emphasized that the proposed ordinance would focus on the single tool that poses the greatest health risk and said the borough's decision would protect landscaping workers as well as residents.

Mayor (speaker 1) responded that council members Tom Haren and Melissa Hannahan (chair/vice chair of committees) and staff would consult professional landscapers — including an all-electric operator that does significant business in town — and review the experiences of other municipalities before drafting a proposal. He said the borough's DPW has purchased electric commercial blowers for trials and that the environmental advisory committees are supportive.

Next steps: staff will follow up with landscapers and examine ordinances from Maplewood and Montclair; the council indicated it will continue working on the issue in the coming weeks.