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Natural Awakenings Central New Jersey

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Action Alert

Banish Toxic Air in Plane Cabins

Flying safety is more than making it to our destination; it’s about the air we have to breathe while in the skies. Toxic fume events can occur when air, contaminated by engine exhaust, fuel fumes, de-icing fluids and/or ozone, enters the aircraft cabin through the jet engine intake. Exposure to even low levels of these contaminants can incapacitate passengers and crew, and long-term exposure could lead to debilitating health issues. In April, U.S. Representative John Garamendi (D-CA) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced the Cabin Air Safety Act (H.R. 2208) to protect commercial airline passengers and crew from toxic cabin air. Follow its progress at GovTrack.US. The bill would require training on toxic fumes for all pilots, crew members and flight attendants; make sure the Federal Aviation Administration maintains a record of all reports of and conducts investigations into all toxic fume occurrences; and direct the airline industry to install detectors in the air supply system of planes to locate sources of contamination.

Contact a congressional representative, listed on GovTrack.US, to support the bill.

 

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Action Alert
Tick Talk

Spring officially sprung on March 21. We have turned our clocks ahead. We are looking forward to warm winds, sunny skies and the smell of fresh cut grass. The daffodils and tulips have recently bloomed and we are just starting with the yard work that comes with the warmer weather.  Sadly, another season has started ramping up.  Tick season.

•             The best form of protection is prevention. Educating oneself about tick activity and how our behaviors overlap with tick habitats is the first step.

•             According to the NJ DOH, in 2022 Hunterdon County led the state with a Lyme disease incidence rate of 426 cases per 100,000 people. The fact is ticks spend approximately 90% of their lives not on a host but aggressively searching for one, molting to their next stage or over-wintering. This is why a tick remediation program should be implemented on school grounds where NJ DOH deems high risk for tick exposure and subsequent attachment to human hosts.

•             Governor Murphy has signed a bill that mandates tick education in NJ public schools. See this for the details.  Tick education must now be incorporated into K-12 school curriculum. See link:

https://www.nj.gov/education/broadcasts/2023/sept/27/TicksandTick-BorneIllnessEducation.pdf

•             May is a great month to remind the public that tick activity is in full swing. In New Jersey, there are many tickborne diseases that affect residents, including Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Powassan, and Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis.

•             For years, the focus has mainly been about protecting ourselves from Lyme disease. But other tick-borne diseases are on the rise in Central Jersey. An increase of incidence of Babesia and Anaplasma are sidelining people too. These two pathogens are scary because they effect our blood cells. Babesia affects the red blood cells and Anaplasma effects the white blood cells.

•             Ticks can be infected with more than one pathogen. When you contract Lyme it is possible to contract more than just that one disease. This is called a co-infection. It is super important to pay attention to your symptoms. See link.

https://twp.freehold.nj.us/480/Disease-Co-Infection

A good resource from the State:

https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/topics/tickborne.shtml

 

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