Retarding the spark or cutting the throttle dumps
unburned hydrocarbons into the exhaust; too
much of it will overheat the catalytic converter, a filter attached to the exhaust system that reduces air pollution.
Many of these small internal combustion engines used for yardwork can release as
much as 30 % of the fuel / oil mixture as
unburned pollutants into the atmosphere due to incomplete combustion, which not only wastes fuel and money, but also contributes to air pollution.