One more reason to kick butts.
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable death in the US, according to the CDC, causing everything from cancer to lung disease to heart disease.
Second hand smoke, too, has serious risks — as does the lesser-known thirdhand smoke, which clings to surfaces and makes it way back into the air over time.
But scientists have now pinpointed another harmful side effect of cigarettes that’s the result of filters — and it can impact everyone, even if you’ve never taken a puff.
It’s well established that discarded cigarette butts — the most littered item in the world — release nicotine, heavy metals and other toxins into the environment, including our waterways.
Now, researchers at the University at Buffalo have found that a single cigarette filter can instantly release up to 24 microfibers into water.
Microfibers are similar to much maligned microplastics, but they’re not just plastic. They can include fibers like cotton, wool or hemp that biodegrade, as well as plastic microfibers from nylon, polyester and other synthetic materials that do not decompose over time.
In a study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials: Plastics, the authors say the release of cellulose acetate fibers, which most cigarette filters are made of, has not been previously explored.
“Microfibers in natural waters have been primarily associated with laundry and clothing. This work shows that microfibers from littered cigarette filters cannot be ignored,” said study author John D. Atkinson, associate professor in the UB Department of Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering.
Atkinson analyzed cigarette butts placed in three different water conditions: still, moderately moving, and more intense moving water.
They found that, regardless of condition, a cigarette filter releases roughly 24 microfibers within twenty seconds of water contact.
And depending on water flow, a single filter containing more than 10,000 microfibers can release 63 to 144 microfibers after over a period of 10 days.
They estimates that every day, anywhere from 71 million to 1.4 billion cigarette butt microfibers are released into New York waters.
In addition to posing a threat to wildlife, they function as sponges, pulling in and carrying heavy metals, pathogens and other pollutants, — including PFAS, or “forever chemicals.”
Forever chemicals have been linked to a long list of health problems, including several types of cancer, immune system damage and birth defects.
“We typically consider microplastics problematic because of the chemicals they adsorb in the environment, but these are released with contamination. You get both physical pollution of the fibers and chemical pollution of everything that’s stuck to them,” Atkinson said.
“In a way, this is a new ‘bad thing’ associated with cigarettes,” he continued.
This study builds on evidence suggesting that cigarette butts are a direct and devastating source of microplastic pollution.
Atkinson and his team suggest several interventions and efforts to change human behavior could drastically reduce the number of cigarette butt microfibers released into waters.
“Our work can inform the strategic placement of receptacles for cigarette butts. Adding filters to collect cigarette butts in storm sewers could also be beneficial,” said Atkinson.
