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<br /> Page 1 of 1 <br /> <br /> <br /> Jps~Pe C, <br /> Murashige, Laura PFrom: Terry Miura [terry_miura@yahoo.com] <br /> <br /> <br /> Sent: Monday, February 04, 2008 4:23 PM <br /> To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us <br /> <br /> Subject: Support for Bill 224 <br /> <br /> TO: HAWAI'I COUNTY COUNCIL <br /> ~n <br /> m <br /> RE: TESTIMONY IN SUPPORT OF BILL 224 Z'. <br /> Relating To Smoking In Certain Places In The County Of Hawaii <br /> Committee hearing February 5, 2008 <br /> <br /> February 4, 2008 C) <br /> <br /> My name is Terry Miura, coordinator for Get The Drift & Bag It! (HawaiTs name for our <br /> contribution to the International Coastal Clean-up) for Hawai'i Island, and I strongly support Bill <br /> 224, which would prohibit smoking at all Parks and Beaches on the Big Island. As the <br /> coordinator for this annual clean-up, I know that the #1 type of debris found on our beaches <br /> are cigarette butts. If there is a filter on the butt, that filter is made up of a type of plastic <br /> called cellulose acetate. Cigarette butts take any where from 1-5 years to disintegrate. During <br /> last year's clean-up on Sept. 15, 2007, volunteers picked up over 22,557 cigarette butts off the <br /> beaches of the Big Island! That was the total for just ONE DAY. If these volunteers had not <br /> picked them up, imagine what our beautiful shorelines would look like! I personally pick up <br /> litter at Richardson Ocean Park on a regular basis and cigarette butts are everywhere. People <br /> use our beaches as their personal ashtray. <br /> <br /> Cigarette filters can contain up to 60 known human carcinogens including arsenic, <br /> formaldehyde, chromium and lead. These chemiclas are capable of leaching into our ocean <br /> waters, posing a threat to our marine animals who may ingest them. Cigarette butts have <br /> been found in the stomachs of sea turtles, fish, birds, whales and other marine animals. Our <br /> keiki playing on the beach pick up cigarette butts as they dig in the sand. <br /> <br /> It is for these reasons that I strongly encourage the Council to pass this ordinance. This is a <br /> good bill and it will go a long way in protectiong our precious marine environment for <br /> generations to come. E malama i ke kai! <br /> Please accept this as written testimony in support of this bill. <br /> <br /> Sincerely, <br /> <br /> Terry Miura <br /> Get the Drift & Bag It! Big Island Coordinator <br /> <br /> <br /> Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your homepage. <br /> Comm. Na ' ~O z <br /> Ref. Toes 5 C <br /> Ref. Dote <br /> <br /> 2/5/2008 <br />