LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Leaf blowers stir up pollution, noise and should be banned

To the editor:

Spring is here. The daffodils and tulips are rolling out their flower buds.  And Pitt’s groundskeepers are rolling out their leaf blowers, stirring up dust, mold, pesticides, heavy metals, and pollen; aerosolizing dog feces; creating ear-damaging noise levels; and emitting pollution nearly comparable to 299 times the hydrocarbons of a 6,200-pound Ford pickup truck. Leaf rakes and brooms are oh-so-yesterday. 

Pitt officials have known of the negative environmental effects of leaf blowers for years, but they ignore them, just as they refuse to enforce no-smoking regulations near building entrances.

What does it take to get a university that considers itself to be world-class in health and environment to stop this dangerous practice?

Alan Meisel
Professor of Law Emeritus