A theory I came up with myself. Reminded of it with the hot weather this week. The number of leaf blowers in use has grown astronomically for the past 10-15 years. Around the same time this started happening, I learned that a single corporation has a literal monopoly on ENTs in the tri-state area and possibly many other areas as well. This got me thinking.... Maybe the ENT/allergist and/or pharma companies are fueling the leaf blower industry growth, as without the crazy use of the blowers they'd probably see a order of magnitude fewer patients. I think those machines may be single-handedly responsible for the allergy season getting worse each year. Thoughts?

Some links I found on the subject from a quick Google search:

http://www.alternet.org/modern-pestilence-leaf-blowers-generate-infuriating-noise-toxic-gases-and-hazardous-dust

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-anderson/the-leaf-blower-divide_b_5803154.html

https://www.drweil.com/health-wellness/balanced-living/gardening/ban-leafblowers/

http://www.greenwichcalm.org/apps/blog/entries/show/6583443-health-hazards-of-leaf-blowers