Landscaping Health & Environment

The climate and health science has only strengthened since Clean Air Yard Care formed its mission and focus over fifteen years ago.

Although some of the below statistics are alarming, at Clean Air we see this information as an opening towards the energy transition and an invitation to work harder. It does need to be acknowledged, however, that according to the Canadian Medical Association, “air pollution is the most important environmental contributor to poor health and premature death.” Air pollution also has significant economic consequences. As you will see below, gas-powered yard equipment produces far more emissions than many people realise, and we now have the technology and willpower to radically improve this. Clean Air have been a part of the clean energy transition for over fifteen years, and it is our belief that everyone has an opportunity to do their part.

Did you know that the fuel burned in gasoline-powered lawn mowers puts out a lot more smog-forming emissions than cars?

Gas-powered lawn mowers are very inefficient, and lack the pollution control of modern cars, which means that despite their small size they produce a lot of air pollution. In fact, running an older gasoline-powered lawn mower for one hour can produce as much air pollution as driving a new car for up to 550 kilometers.

Michael Brauer, a professor in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia, notes: “People may be surprised to think that a leaf blower actually produces a lot more pollution than a pick-up truck.” Indeed, there are numerous studies that point to the disproportionate amount of pollution that is produced by gas powered equipment. According to Statistics Canada, gas powered lawn equipment releases about 80,000 tonnes of emissions in Canada every year, using 151 million litres of gasoline.

In 2023, National Capital Commission, a federal Crown corporation, was the first jurisdiction in Canada to ban gas-powered tools on its lands. Similar bans are increasingly being proposed for other jurisdictions of Canada, including in the Victoria Suburb of Oak Bay, where a phase out of gas powered yard equipment is expected to be fully implemented by 2026.

You can download the full report, “Health Impacts of Air Pollution in Canada: Estimates of Morbidity and Premature Mortality Outcomes – 2021” HERE.

Where is Ozone?

Ozone is found in two places in the Earth’s atmosphere, but it has very different effects, depending on where it is. In the Earth’s upper atmosphere (stratosphere), the ozone protects life from harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. However, high concentrations of ozone found in the Earth’s lower atmosphere (troposphere) are hazardous to life.

How is Tropospheric Ozone Created?

Ozone in the lower atmosphere (troposphere) is created through a series of reactions involving man-made chemical species such as Nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Many chemical species that contribute to ground level ozone are produced by gas powered yard equipment. 

Ground Level Ozone

Ground level ozone pollution forms when emissions from gas-powered vehicles and lawn equipment (mowers/trimmers/blowers), industrial and chemical processes, and even household activities react with heat and sunlight. The highest ozone levels usually occur in summer months when temperatures approach the high 20c-30c and when the wind is stagnant or light.

Ozone in the air we breathe can harm our health—typically on hot, sunny days when ozone can reach unhealthy levels. Even relatively low levels of ozone can cause health effects.  People with lung disease, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors may be particularly sensitive to ozone. Children are at greatest risk from exposure to ozone because their lungs are still developing and they are more likely to be active outdoors when ozone levels are high, which increases their exposure.  Children are also more likely than adults to have asthma. Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion. It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Ground level ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue. Health Effects of Ground Level Ozone on Humans EPA

NASA and Ozone

NASA’s work involves a great deal of research in the service of society on our own planet, including studies of air quality. The Ozone Garden helps to educate people about ozone in our atmosphere. Their vision is to improve life here, to extend life to there, and to find life beyond. Ozone research contributes to the NASA vision by using satellite missions, such as Aura, to monitor the health of Earth’s atmosphere.

What Does Ozone Damage on Plants Look Like?

When exposed to high levels of ozone, many plants show damage on their leaves. Older leaves have the most damage. Plants with ozone damage have very fine colored spots on the upper surfaces of their leaves, and some leaves also turn yellow.

Ozone (generated from gasoline powered yard equipment) in the air we breathe can harm our health—typically on hot, sunny days when ozone can reach unhealthy levels. Even relatively low levels of ozone can cause health effects.  People with lung disease, children, older adults, and people who are active outdoors may be particularly sensitive to ozone.

Children are at greatest risk from exposure to ozone because their lungs are still developing and they are more likely to be active outdoors when ozone levels are high, which increases their exposure.  Children are also more likely than adults to have asthma.

Breathing ozone can trigger a variety of health problems including chest pain, coughing, throat irritation, and congestion. It can worsen bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma. Ground level ozone also can reduce lung function and inflame the linings of the lungs. Repeated exposure may permanently scar lung tissue.

Ozone can:

Make it more difficult to breathe deeply and vigorously.
Cause shortness of breath and pain when taking a deep breath.
Cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat.
Inflame and damage the airways.
Aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
Increase the frequency of asthma attacks.
Make the lungs more susceptible to infection.
Continue to damage the lungs even when the symptoms have disappeared.

These effects may lead to increased school absences, medication use, visits to doctors and emergency rooms, and hospital admissions. Research also indicates that ozone exposure may increase the risk of premature death from heart or lung disease.

Ozone is particularly likely to reach unhealthy levels on hot sunny days in urban environments. It is a major part of urban smog.  Ozone can also be transported long distances by wind.  For this reason, even rural areas can experience high ozone levels.  And, in some cases, ozone can occur throughout the year in some southern and mountain regions. Learn more about the formation and transport of ground level ozone.

If you’re a health care provider, visit AIRNow’s Health Care Provider page for educational materials.

*Source: USA – Environmental Protection Agency

How is noise pollution related to air pollution?

Noise Pollution is a contamination of the quality of the sound in the air (Gasoline powered leaf blowers, construction sites).

Air Pollution is a contamination of the physical and chemical properties of the air (Exhaust from buses/planes, gasoline powered lawn mowers).

Both types of pollution, and pollution in general, are a disruption of the normal, homeostatic quality of the environment and detrimental to the quality of life.

Noise Pollution Comparison

Cordless electric mowers offer noise levels about 50% lower of those of their gas-powered counterparts. Source: Clean Air Foundation. Gasoline mowers generate noise over 100 decibels and hearing loss occurs around 90 decibels.

dB is an abbreviation for “decibel”. One decibel is one tenth of a Bel, named for Alexander Graham Bell.

The decibel is the unit used to measure the intensity of a sound. The decibel scale is a little odd because the human ear is incredibly sensitive. Your ears can hear everything from your fingertip brushing lightly over your skin to a loud jet engine. In terms of power, the sound of the jet engine is about 1,000,000,000,000 times more powerful than the smallest audible sound. That’s a big difference!

On the decibel scale, the smallest audible sound (near total silence) is 0 dB. A sound 10 times more powerful is 10 dB. A sound 100 times more powerful than near total silence is 20 dB. And a sound 1,000 times more powerful than near total silence is 30 dB.

Common sounds and their decibel ratings:

• • • • •  Near total silence – 0 dB
        •  Whisper – 15 dB
        •  Normal conversation – 60 dB
        •  Cordless battery Lawnmower – 75 dB
        •  Gasoline powered lawnmower – 100 dB
        •  Gasoline powered leaf blower – 105 dB
        •  Car horn – 110 dB
        •  Rock concert or a jet engine – 130 dB
        •  Gunshot or firecracker – 140 dB

You know from your own experience that distance affects the intensity of sound. That is to say, if you are far away, the power is greatly diminished. All of the ratings above are taken while standing near the sound.

Any sound above 85 dB can cause hearing loss, and the loss is related both to the power of the sound as well as the length of exposure. You know that you are listening to an 85-dB sound if you have to raise your voice to be heard by somebody else. Eight hours of 90-dB sound can cause damage to your ears; any exposure to 140-dB sound causes immediate damage (and causes actual pain). See this page for an exposure “ruler.”

Ground Contamination

A big problem with gasoline lawn mowers is the fuel spilled during refueling. Lawn and garden equipment users in California alone spill 17 million gallons of fuel each year while refilling their outdoor power equipment. Source: Clean Air Foundation. If each gasoline-powered lawn mower spills one litre of fuel per season, there would be 56 million liters of fuel spilled and leach into our groundwater. This is the amount carried by about 2,800 tanker trucks.