HomeLatest ArticlesCigarette butts release thousands of deadly toxins into the environment

Cigarette butts release thousands of deadly toxins into the environment

 Many smokers and non-smokers are familiar with the musty smell of old cigarette butts that litter sidewalks, bus stops and beaches around the world. Cigarette filters are the most common form of waste worldwide. cigarette butts also release thousands of toxins and plastic fibers into the environment. Ideally, the study authors say, the time to ban these filters entirely is now.

More specifically, this latest study found that both microfibers and chemicals that leak from cigarette butt filters are actually toxic to aquatic larvae.

“The filter is full of thousands of toxic chemicals and microplastic fibers, so it’s not just any piece of plastic that gets dumped into the environment. It’s hazardous waste,” says Bethanie Carney Almroth, professor of ecotoxicology at the University of Gothenburg, in a press release.

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Smokers throw away trillions of cigarette butts every year!

The authors of the study tested the effect of toxins found in cigarette filters after smoking, as well as other substances present in the filters from the beginning, on water mosquito larvae. They found that the toxins promoted a 20 percent higher mortality rate among mosquito larvae.

Earlier research has also shown that the toxins in these filters can be harmful to the health of many other aquatic organisms. For example, fish can die if exposed to toxin levels equivalent to just two cigarette butts in one liter of water over four days.

“Cigarette filters are also a major source of microplastics entering our environment – ​​something we know has a major negative impact on biological life. The EU has already classified cigarette filters as hazardous waste,” explains Professor Carney Almroth.

A whopping 4.5 trillion cigarette butts accumulate worldwide each year, with 65 percent of those cigarette butts never actually making it into the trash can or ashtray. A cigarette butt, meanwhile, can contain up to 7,000 different chemicals. Even unused filters contain around 4,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic.

Each filter also contains roughly 15,000 microplastic fibers. Scientists estimate that 300,000 tons of plastic fibers are released into the environment every year due to cigarette butts. These cigarette butts aren’t just bad news for the environment, as studies show that the filters themselves can pose a health risk to smokers – because of the plastic fibers that are released from the filters and inhaled directly into the lungs by people.

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Do filters really help smokers?

Interestingly, in the city of Gothenburg, the authors of the study noticed that many local smokers tend to throw butts on the ground, even when there are ashtrays nearby.

“Cleaning costs the municipality millions of crowns, but there will still be many cigarette butts in the environment. We are now conducting a survey of plastic waste across Sweden with the help of community science in what we call the Plastics Experiment. In this way, we can work with school children and others to get better data on where and how many cigarette butts with filters are found in the environment alongside other problematic plastic products,” adds Prof. Carney Almroth.

All in all, they say there is no compelling reason for filters to remain in cigarettes. The professor, in collaboration with other scientists, recently wrote an opinion piece in the journal Science of the Total Environment, arguing that cigarette butts are the most common litter in the world and nothing more than a marketing ploy that ultimately does little to protect smokers. reality.

“That’s why they have to be taken off the market completely. It is not the right approach to aim for tobacco manufacturers to pay for filter cleaning. The problem should be prevented in the first place, rather than cleaned later,” concludes Professor Carney Almroth.

Written by: Vaishali verma

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