4. Leaf blowers

Arlington and Brookline are two towns that banned the use of gas-powered leaf blowers.

Many readers agreed that leaf blowers should be prohibited.

Patricia, of Hyde Park, said the blowers release more than just noise pollution. “Their inefficient engines give off a high concentration of toxic pollutants very close to homes,” she argued. “These pollutants can be immediate respiratory irritants and asthma accelerators as well as having potentially long-term consequences in their effects on cells and DNA.”