The adverse effects of cigarettes on human health are numerous, but a 2023 study found that they also release harmful toxins into the environment.
Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have found that in addition to being one of the most common forms of litter, cigarette butts (or filters) leak thousands of toxins and plastic fibers into the surrounding environment, and they are particularly toxic to aquatic larvae.
When researchers tested the effects of toxins in cigarette butts on aquatic mosquito larvae before and after smoking, they found that the presence of such chemicals led to a 20 percent increase in mortality. Early research also suggests that these toxins may harm the health of many other aquatic organisms.
“The filter is filled with thousands of toxic chemicals and microplastic fibers, so it’s not just any piece of plastic being discarded into the environment. It’s hazardous waste,” Bethanie Carney Almroth, professor of ecotoxicology at the University of Gothenburg, said in a press release.
Mosquitoes play an important role in ecosystems, serving as pollinators and food sources for other organisms. Mosquito larvae contribute to the aquatic food supply by serving as a food source for aquatic animals such as dragonfly larvae and fish.
The study also looked at the discarding behavior of smokers in Gothenburg and found that many smokers still threw their cigarette butts on the ground even if there was an ashtray nearby.
Research has found that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are accumulated around the world every year, but 65% of these cigarette butts never actually reach the trash can or ashtray. These cigarette butts may contain up to 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic, and approximately 15,000 microplastic fibers.
Almroth is calling for a total ban on cigarette butts to address the problem because she and other experts believe filters are just a marketing ploy and don’t actually protect smokers, as they believe.
“That’s why they have to be completely taken off the market,” Almroth said. “Focusing on making tobacco manufacturers pay for filter cleaning is not the right approach. This problem should be prevented in the first place, not cleaned up afterward.”
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