https://doi.org/10.15255/KUI.2022.041
Published: Kem. Ind. 72 (3-4) (2023) 227–236
Paper reference number: KUI-41/2022
Paper type: Review
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What is the Price of Smoking? – Risks for the Environment

A. Čurić, K. Muzica, I. Runjak, D. Vasiljević, M. Miloloža and D. Kučić Grgić

Abstract

Consuming tobacco products does not represent only a health problem, but also an important environmental issue. On average, 80 % of cigarette butts are disposed in the environment. The biggest problem with discarded cigarette butts is the chemical compounds that are not only harmful to humans, but also degrade slowly in nature. Classic cigarettes contain a filter made of cellulose acetate, a form of polymer that is non-biodegradable. Cellulose filters are a biodegradable alternative to polymer filters and therefore less harmful to the environment and living organisms. Similarly, electric cigarettes are an alternative to classic cigarettes because of their simpler chemical composition and the assumption that they are a healthier option. In addition, leave behind no waste such as cigarette butts. Discarded cigarette butts can be detected in everyday life. With the help of wind and precipitation, they are transported from land to the aquatic environment where they leach harmful chemicals for many years, and once soaked in water they sink to the bottom. The purpose of this paper was to consider the harmful effects of discarded cigarette butts on the environment using ecotoxicity tests. Ecotoxicity studies on marine, freshwater, and sedimentary species in the aquatic ecosystem (benthos, plankton, nekton), as well as terrestrial organisms (plants, invertebrates, vertebrates) were investigated. Current literature on aquatic organisms show sensitivity to harmful compounds found in discarded cigarette butts. In addition, research on microbiological communities in soil, plants, invertebrates, and vertebrates demonstrated that discarded cigarette butts negatively affect the terrestrial ecosystem. Overall, this highlights the need to inform smokers about the negative effects of discarded cigarette butts on the environment, and to educate them about the appropriate disposal of cigarette butts. Moreover, the problem can be further reduced by implementing the recycling of cigarette butts.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Keywords

cigarette butt, filter, toxicity, electric cigarettes, ecotoxicity test