Cigarettes are dangerous not only for smokers, but also for the environment.
Scientists from Sweden tried to shed light on how the summer “tar” and cigarette butts buried in the sand or soil near the reservoir work.
Cigarette butts are one of the most common types of beach litter. Moreover, the material from which the filters are made – cellulose acetate – is a highly modified plastic. This material decomposes on average within 5-7.5 years when buried in the field and compost and within 14 years when placed on the ground. The filters then release pesticides, titanium dioxide, tracetin, naphthalene, nicotine, benzene, heavy metals, etc. In general, the garbage generated by cigarette filters is described as “hazardous waste” that pollutes rivers, lakes, and other nearby bodies of water.
The filtered cigarette butts then kill mosquito larvae, marine crustaceans and fish. One cigarette butt per liter of water leads to a 20% increase in mortality among crustacean-eating mosquito larvae, and in addition to disturbing the ecosystem of aquariums, cigarette butts can cause direct harm to fish. According to experiments conducted by scientists, two filters from two cigarettes kill Atherinops affinis after 96 hours of exposure.
Is there a solution to the problem? – It is a restriction on the production and consumption of cigarettes, both filtered and non-filtered, because they not only harm the smoker and the environment through smoke, but also pose a threat to the planet.
Source: TASS
