Why Toronto must ban Gas Leaf Blowers (GLBs)
2025: The Year of Air Pollution in Toronto
July 3, 4 , 5 of this year, downtown Toronto’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) hit Level 10: Very High Risk.
This is not an isolated event—it’s part of a worsening pattern fueled by climate change and urban pollution, and it marked a dangerous milestone for the city, threatening the health of children, seniors, and anyone with preexisting medical conditions. As Toronto faces an increasingly hotter and more polluted future, urgent action is needed to protect public health.
Air Pollution Is a Silent Killer
Air pollution is one of the leading environmental threats to human health worldwide. Decades of scientific research confirm that even short-term exposure can increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, asthma, and lung cancer. Just like smoking, the damage may not be felt immediately, but it builds silently over time.
Children, older adults, and people with existing health issues are especially vulnerable. Yet exposure affects everyone—and reducing it can lead to significant improvements in public health outcomes.
Global health authorities, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the American Heart Association, all warn of the serious health risks of polluted air.
The Problem with Gas-Powered Leaf Blowers
Gas-powered leaf blowers (GLBs), particularly those with 2-cycle engines, are among the most polluting tools used in urban areas. These machines release fine particle combustion matter, (PM2.5) carbon monoxide, and toxic volatile organic compounds, directly into the air we breathe—at close range.
Their emissions are not only harmful to those operating the equipment, but also to neighbors, pedestrians, and vulnerable populations nearby. In fact, a single gas-powered leaf blower can emit as much pollution in one hour as a car driving over a thousand kilometers.
A Call for Action
Allowing hundreds of gas-powered leaf blowers to operate during high pollution events directly undermines Toronto’s climate commitments and public health goals. That’s why GASBUSTERS is calling on Toronto City Council to take immediate action:
Ban or restrict the use of gas-powered (2-cycle) leaf blowers during AQHI Level 7–10 alerts.
This is a practical, science-backed step Toronto can take right now to reduce harmful emissions, protect residents’ health, and demonstrate environmental leadership.
Let’s make 2025 the year Toronto chooses clean air over outdated machines.
Harmful airborne particle pollution can linger in the air for a week or longer.
The high wind speed generated by leaf blowers is the main source of harmful dust in residential neighbourhoods.
The hurricane-force winds jetting out of the front end of a gas leaf blower is moving over 200 miles an hour. The disbursed air pulverizes what it hits into very fine dust. Leaf blower dust can stay airborne for days. Dust can cause long term health issues. Evidence indicates that the quality of outdoor air directly influences indoor air quality, including within homes.
Much of this resuspended dust is fine Particulate Matter ( PM ) , is less than 2.5 microns, small enough in size to enter the bloodstream when inhaled, lodging in our lungs. Children are especially vulnerable to the harm caused by air pollutants. Their smaller bodies, developing brains, and respiratory systems make them more vulnerable to the health effects of poor air quality and have lifelong consequences.
The blown dust from yard cleanup operations blows all the stuff that’s on the ground up into the air contains animal feces, molds, bacteria, fungus, fertilizer, and pesticides.
Dust from the street contains metals, including lead, carbon black from tire wear and asbestos from brake pad wear. All are carcinogens. According to a recent report issued by researchers at Imperial College London, “There is emerging evidence that rubber tire wear particles and other particulate matter may contribute to a range of negative health impacts including heart, lung, developmental, reproductive, and cancer outcomes.”
“ Outdoor fine particulate air pollution (PM2.5) contributes to millions of deaths around the world each year, but much less is known about the long-term health impacts of other particulate air pollutants including ultrafine particles (a.k.a. nanoparticles) which are in the nanometer size range (<100 nm), widespread in urban environments, and not currently regulated. Long-term exposure to outdoor ultrafine particulate matter was associated with increased risk of mortality. We estimated the mortality burden for outdoor ultrafine particles in Montreal and Toronto, to be approximately 1100 additional non accidental deaths every year. As outdoor ultrafine particles are not currently regulated, there is great potential for future regulatory interventions to improve population health by targeting these common outdoor air pollutants. “
American Journal of Respiratory and Central Care Medicine, June 24, 2024
