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• Small Gas Engines
• Aerosols
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Clean Air Pyramid

Small Gas-Powered Engines

Small gas-powered engines such as lawn mowers, are major contributors to the production of ground level ozone.

Every summer day in the Baltimore and Washington area, gasoline-powered lawn and garden equipment releases over 100 times more volatile organic compounds (VOCs) [Clean Air Facts, How Ozone Is Formed] than a typical large industrial plant. This equipment is second behind cars and trucks as the cause of ozone smog.

Also, the EPA estimates that 17 million gallons of fuel are spilled each year, just refueling lawn equipment. That is more fuel than could be carried by a convoy of tanker trucks 22.5 miles long.

On Ozone Action Days, consider this:

• Mowing your lawn for one hour is equal to driving a late-model car from Baltimore to Hartford, CT.
• If 20% of us don't mow our lawns, we would reduce VOCs by an amount equal to the emissions released by over a million new cars driving 20-30 miles a day.

Northern Shenandoah Valley Air Quality Improvement Task Force
Phone: 540-450-2207 | | info@valleyairnow.com