2023-09-01 23:30:00
A gasoline-powered mower emits as much pollutants for one hour as a car emits by traveling 480 km, according to a reputable California air protection agency which wants to banish these small devices which now generate as much pollution as cars .
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Worse still, using a leaf blower for an hour releases as much pollution as driving a car for 1750 km. Data from the very serious California Air Resources Board (CARB).
“It’s very shocking. Most people don’t know the impact of these small drivers and don’t realize it’s such a big problem,” said Tom Green, climate solutions policy analyst at the David Suzuki Foundation.
“Even in the automotive industry, the vast majority of people are unaware of this reality,” adds Daniel Breton, CEO of Electric Mobility Canada.
Never seen
The impact of small engines (less than 19 kW or 25.5 HP) on equipment that does not go on the road is no longer negligible in the overall balance of pollution in California.
In 2021, the CARB estimated that the 15.4 million small engines in the state produced as many emissions as the 14 million passenger vehicles registered there. And if nothing were done, small engines would emit almost double the emissions of automobiles – in decline – in 2031.
Tom Green, climate solutions policy analyst at the David Suzuki Foundation. Photo courtesy of Tom Green
If leaf blowers are so polluting, it’s because they raise a lot of particles in the air and they generally operate with a two-stroke engine.
“They burn a mixture containing gasoline and oil, sometimes in a proportion of 50 to 1. So we burn one liter of oil per 50 liters of gasoline. This oil does not burn very well and produces a lot of smoke”, explains Tom Green.
old technology
“And there’s no place to put all the emissions controls you can put on cars. We have put a lot of effort into improving car emissions, much less for small engines,” he adds.
Four-stroke engines (which burn gasoline and not an oil/gasoline mixture) have improved the balance sheet of small motor vehicles, but again space, weight and cost constraints deprive them of systems emissions, Green points out, but there’s more.
“In research, we notice that many engines are poorly maintained. New, they meet current standards. But after a few years – and especially for residential users – you can see that they emit a lot more smoke.”
very harmful
What are these emanations made of? “What has effects on health is carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds and especially nitrogen oxides (NOx)”, explains Tom Green.
“People are not aware of the damage it causes to health. They tell themselves it’s not that bad, they only do it for an hour. But it’s worse than spending five hours near a car,” he insists.
Michael Brauer, a professor at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Medicine and an expert in air pollution, paints a grim picture of the effects of these emissions.
“These small engines produce particulates that are a risk factor for most of the leading causes of death in Canada; lung disease, ischemic heart disease (mainly heart attacks), stroke, lung cancer, type 2 diabetes and dementia. Exposure to particulates also leads to lower birth weight and a higher risk of preterm delivery. They also contribute to ozone formation which is linked to death from COPD [bronchopneumopathie chronique obstructive] and the triggering of asthma attacks,” he says.
Pollution and global warming
Daniel Breton specifies that it is necessary to distinguish between atmospheric pollution and greenhouse gases which contribute to global warming.
“CO2 emissions, and therefore greenhouse gases, are directly proportional to fuel consumption. They cannot be filtered by emission control systems. Anti-pollution systems are increasingly restrictive in order to have less and less polluting emissions which contribute to cancer, cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. However, they increase gasoline consumption a little, and therefore greenhouse gases. Which should be eliminated? The answer is both,” says Mr. Breton.
Daniel Breton at the first Montreal Electric Vehicle Show in 2017 Photo archives, Agence QMI
And the next season will be conducive to a peak in pollution by this equipment.
“In an urban context, there is no space to dilute this pollution. On fall weekends in a neighborhood there can be a lot of people using mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers. All of this has an impact on pollution in the neighborhood,” says Tom Green.
Alternate plan
“Fortunately, the solution is there, it is to electrify”, insists Mr. Green.
Agreeing that technology does not currently allow a logger in the middle of the forest to replace his gas-powered chainsaw, “in an urban context, you can electrify a lot of things. Battery-powered saws are now not bad, ”argues Mr. Green.
Still, this is the path chosen by California.
From 2024, it will ban the sale of most equipment with small gasoline engines not intended for road use. Portable generators will have to meet new, more restrictive rules before going zero emissions in 2028.
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