Leaf blowers could be a health risk when it comes to the spread of the potentially deadly bacterium melioidosis Three weeks after a team carrying out garden maintenance used a leaf blower to clear grass cuttings from paths , the resident of retirement village in Darwin came down with the disease.
Subsequent tests of the village discovered that melioidosis is in the soil not far from where the melioidosis victim resides . As the scourge is highly volatile, the widespread use of leaf blowers in gardens could be directing a torrent of infection in and around homes, shopping centres , parks .
No public warning has been issued specifically mentioning leaf blowers. Department of Health and Families Disease Control Director, Vicki Krause , in the past, has warned about the possible danger from using high pressure water hoses blowing the bacterium about , suggesting that covering the mouth or wearing a mask “may” help.
The situation clearly demands close attention . It would seem inadvisable to be using leaf blowers in retirement villages where some occupants suffer from various conditions which make them very vulnerable to this infectious disease.
Incidently , the 6th World Congress on Melioidosis , staged by James Cook University, will be held in Townville from November 30 to December 3.
