Cigarettes – Impact on the environment
There is growing concern over the impact of tobacco product waste on the environment, as well as the substantial cost of litter cleanup. Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a plastic which is technically biodegradable. However, filters only biodegrade under conditions described as "severe biological circumstances," such as when filters end up in sewage. Even in these conditions, cellulose acetate filters are slow to disappear with an optimistic estimate of 9 months. In practice, cigarette butts tossed on streets and beaches do not biodegrade. The sun may break down litter, but according to researchers, only into smaller pieces of waste which become diluted in water or soil.
In 2007, 360 billion cigarettes were consumed in the United Sates. Cigarette butts, plastic filters and remnants of smoked cigarettes, are discarded everywhere, often ending up in sewer drains, making their way to rivers and ultimately to oceans and beaches. Data from the Ocean Conservancy show that in 2010, nearly two million cigarettes and/or filters, or 94,626 packs of cigarettes, were removed from beaches and inland waterways as part of the annual International Coastal Cleanup. This cleanup included 1,181,589 cigarettes collected in the U.S., where they were the most prevalent item found. In addition to cigarettes and filters, 16,257 lighters, 73,155 cigar tips, and 36,592 tobacco packages or wrappers were removed from U.S. waterways during the cleanup.
Multiple litter studies show that cigarette butts are the number one littered item on U.S. roadways. In 2009, tobacco products - primarily cigarette butts - comprised nearly 38% of all collected litter items from roadways and streets.
Cigarettes as Toxic Waste
Cigarettes are poisonous when ingested by children, pets and other living organisms, according to poison control center data and veterinary literature. In 2009, the American Association of Poison Control Centers received 7,493 reports of potentially toxic exposure to tobacco products among children less than 6 years of age, mostly from cigarettes or chewing tobacco. One to five cigarettes or 20 to 100 mg. of nicotine is the minimum lethal dose reported for dogs and cats.
Few studies have examined the toxicity of cigarette butts to aquatic ecosystems. However, fish are ecologically important organisms, and are often used as bio indicators of healthy aquatic systems. Preliminary studies show, however, that the chemicals that seep out of butts can be acutely toxic to fish and micro-organisms. One study included more than 6 different concentrations of tobacco and was replicated 2 times, each with 5 fish - salt water and fresh water. During this particular study, one cigarette butt soaked in one liter of water killed half of the fish in the tank. The end result was that smoked cigarette butts, smoked cigarette filters and unsmoked cigarette filters were all found to be acutely toxic to representative marine and freshwater fish. In another study, component materials that leached from cigarette butts were found to have a heavy metal contamination when they were left in water for at least a month.
Other Environmental Impacts
There are other consequences to the environment as a result of tobacco production – deforestation. Timber wood is used in the process of curing tobacco, drying the tobacco leaves. Fires may be caused by careless cigarette smoking or lighting materials. The tobacco manufacturing process produces solid, liquid and airborne wastes, some of which are designated hazardous by the Environmental Protection Agency. The top five chemicals released during manufacturing are ammonia, nicotine, hydrochloric acid, nitrate compounds and chlorine.
Growing concern over the impact of tobacco product waste on the environment, as well as the substantial cost of litter cleanup has prompted states, municipalities and institutions to undertake a variety of policy actions. As of April, 2011, 105 municipalities across the country prohibit smoking on their beaches, while 507 municipalities prohibit smoking in their parks. In 2009, San Francisco paid $5.6 million to clean up tobacco litter. California State law now prohibits tobacco litter under penalty of arrest and payment of fines.
Reducing the use of tobacco products and therefore its production, as well as enforcement of litter laws by implementing fines for discarding tobacco materials into the environment combined with public education are methods that can reduce cigarette waste and its impact on our environment.
Source: The above information is a summary of The Impact of Tobacco on the Environment, published through the American Legacy Foundation, April 2011. The sources listed below include the original studies used by American Legacy.
Novotny, T.E., Lum, K., Smith, E., Wang V., Barnes R. Cigarette Butts and the Case for an Environmental Policy on Hazardous Cigarette Waste. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, May 2009
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Tobacco Outlook Report, Economic Research Services, October 24, 2007
Beck R., Final Report: Litter: A Review of Litter Studies, Attitude Surveys and Other Litter-related Literature. Keep America Beautiful, Inc. 2009
Hackendahl, N.C., Sereda, C.W. The Dangers of Nicotine Ingestion in Dogs. Vet. Med. - US, 2004
Slaughter, E., Gersberg, R., Watanabe K., Rudolph J., Novotny, T.E. Toxicity of Cigarette Butts, and their Chemical Components to Marine and Freshwater Fish. Tobacco Control, 2011; 20 (Supplement 1)
Schneider, J., Peterson N., Kiss, N., Ebeid, O., Doyle, A. Tobacco Litter Costs and Public Policy: A Framework and Methodology for Considering the Use of Fees to Offset Abatement Costs. Tobacco Control. 2011; 20 (Supplement 1)
California Penal Code Section 374
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