Letters

Support Smoke Free Air Act in New Jersey

As a cardiologist and spokesman for the American Heart Association, I recently testified before the Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee in support of the New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act (S1926). State passage of this legislation will help limit disability and death from heart disease and stroke, our state’s annual No. 1 and No. 3 causes of death respectively.

Tobacco was introduced to Western culture by Native Americans in the 17th century as a sacred medicine. Now — four centuries and so much scientific research later — we recognize the hazards of this former luxury. We have unraveled the mechanisms by which tobacco smoke causes disease.

While individual vulnerability may vary, the adverse effects of tobacco smoke do not know age, gender or race. Whether inhaled through a cigar, a pipe or a cigarette, or from smoky clouds in the workplace, at a gambling table or in a restaurant, the potential mischief of tobacco smoke is scientifically inescapable.

As we all witness the breathtaking pace of scientific discovery and the escalating costs of health care, we become acutely aware our single most powerful clinical tool is prevention. I can’t emphasize enough the existence of compelling scientific and clinical data that explains just why tobacco smoke is implicated in nearly 1,000 deaths in America each day.

We do not deny an individual’s right to take risks but we are adamantly opposed to that individual imposing those risks upon another. We wish to advocate for the rights of so many urban and suburban residents who would choose not to be involuntarily exposed to tobacco smoke.

I am proud the New Jersey Smoke Free Air Act recently passed the Health, Human Service and Senior Citizens Committee with flying colors. This was a wise and informed political choice, as well as a proud expression of public health responsibility. Your leadership is widely applauded, but the job is not complete.

For the benefit of all New Jerseyans, the Smoke Free Air Act must still pass the New Jersey Assembly and Senate. Only then will we proudly say we accomplished what we set out to do — reduce disability and death from cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

William A. Tansey III

board of directors

American Heart Association

North Brunswick

Bus-lane plan displays disregard for residents, commuters

This has been four years in the making, and it’s finally just about here. Old Bridge has been chosen as a site for the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) most recent blunder — bus lanes.

Aren’t we lucky? No, not really. The state tells us that between Perrine and Ferry roads the shoulders will be eliminated as shoulders but made wider to accommodate buses for the bus-only lanes. Between Perrine and Ferry, north and south, there are 78 entrances and exits. This includes township streets, some residential homes, gas stations, U-turns and many businesses.

The state wants this done on a corridor that is so dangerous that our school district rerouted some of its buses to avoid parts of the area because of its dangerous reputation. The state even wants to have a rest area for pedestrians in the center of Route 9. This is suicide.

Besides incompetence, the state is also displaying total disregard, not only for Old Bridge residents but for all commuters. Unfortunately, there are already way too many roadside memorials between Perrine and Ferry roads. Buses already ride the shoulders to great lengths, which is a moving violation.

Why put an entire area in harm’s way for the likes of NJ Transit and Academy Bus? The state claims this would increase ridership. That’s bogus. The riders there would be there regardless. There should never be any tradeoff for safety.

This will also be happening in other towns along Route 9. I say we monitor the other areas.

Instead of the state helping our township more, it is dictating this dangerous situation. This is a really bad idea.

Joe Mancini

Old Bridge

Blood center issues plea for blood donors

Our state’s need for all blood types is becoming critical. While the New Jersey media often have stories about the need to donate blood, sadly too few of our region’s residents are blood donors. While the vast majority of New Jersey residents are generally in good health and eligible to donate blood, only a precious few choose to donate. As a result, each year New Jersey blood services must “import” thousands of units of blood from neighboring states to meet our hospitals’ and patients’ needs.

If a member of a New Jersey family needs a blood transfusion, the family just expects the blood to be available. Yet that expectation can only be met if our region has an ample and stable blood supply. For our state to have all blood types available, more New Jersey family members need to become regular blood donors.

Presently there are no substitutes for human blood. Blood products that hospitals continually need include red blood cells, platelets, and plasma. These products generally have short shelf life and inventories constantly need to be replenished. A healthy blood donor between the ages of 17 and 75 can donate every 56 days or about five to six times a year.

Educating the general public about the need to donate blood is a never-ending task. For more information about donating blood, scheduling an appointment to donate blood, or arranging for a group blood drive, go to www.nybloodcenter.org or call (88) 933-BLOOD. Please donate blood today — a family member just may need it tomorrow.

Maggie O’Shea

executive director

New Jersey Blood Services

New Brunswick