Trillion Of Cigarette Butts Littered Yearly Threatens The Marine Environment

The research showed that littered cigarette butts could potentially harm the marine environment with their metal contaminants.

The study was published online in the journal Tobacco Control. In the study, it revealed that there are an approximately 5 trillion of cigarette butts that are littered and discarded all around the globe annually. The metals can also leach from the cigarette butts, according to Science Daily.

The researchers analyzed the harmful implications of metals in the cigarette butts. They examined nine different areas along the north part of the Persian Gulf in the Bushehr seaport coastal areas in the summer of 2015. The team identified the metals, which include iron (Fe), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), arsenic (As), zinc (Zn), manganese (MN) and copper (Cu) from the littered cigarette butts in the top 10 cm of sediment and deposited at the tidal mark on the beaches.

The metal content was computed to gauge the potential impact of marine currents on levels. These include from 38.29 to 123.1 ug/g for manganese and 79.01 ug/g to 244.97 ug/g for iron. The arsenic levels measured from 0.12 ug/g to 0.48 ug/g.

The metal contents have the impact on the marine life. The researchers explained that the elevated concentration of heavy and trace metals in water and soils can severely affect some species; contamination may increase the metal tolerance of other organisms. The almost 5 trillion cigarette butts with its metals may potentially harm the local species and may enter the food chain. They concluded that disseminating public awareness about the toxicity of littered cigarette butts in the marine and coastline areas may aid in decreasing the environmental dangers of cigarette butts in the areas.

According to Keep America Beautiful, the cigarette smoking in America has lessened by 28 percent for the past decades. On the other hand, the cigarette butts are considered the most littered thing in America and other parts of the globe. The littering rate for cigarette butts is 65 percent and the tobacco products are about 38 percent.