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Environmental Toxicity of Cellulose Acetate Nanoplastics from Cigarette Butts in earthworm Allolobophora caliginosa: A Histological and Ultrastructural Assessment
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Discarded cigarette butts break down into tiny plastic particles (nanoplastics) that leach into soil, and this study found they damage the skin and tissue of earthworms, with butts that had actually been smoked causing the worst harm. Since earthworms are essential for healthy soil that grows our food, this suggests cigarette litter could be quietly poisoning the ecosystems we depend on, adding another reason to worry about how nanoplastics move through the environment and potentially up the food chain to us.
The widespread accumulation of cigarette butt waste has become an emerging source of nanoplastic (NPs) pollution in terrestrial ecosystems. This study evaluated the toxic effects of cellulose acetate nanoplastics (CA-NPs) derived from smoked cigarette butts (SCB-NPs), unsmoked cigarette butts (USCB-NPs), and commercial cellulose acetate (CCA-NPs) on earthworm Allolobophora caliginosa. Earthworms were exposed to 100 mg/kg of nanoplastics for 30 days, which histological and ultrastructural alterations in the body wall were investigated using toluidine blue staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM observations thick layer of epedirmis muscular disintegration, and loss of its normal shape particularly in the SCB-NP-treated worms. SCB-NPs induced the most severe toxic effects compared with USCB-NPs and CCA-NPs. The findings demonstrate that cigarette butt-derived NPs can significantly impair earthworm tissue structure and may threaten soil ecosystem health. This study highlights the environmental risks associated with cigarette butt pollution and emphasizes the importance of controlling NPs contamination in terrestrial environments.
More Papers Like This
Ecotoxicological effects of cellulose acetate nanoplastic derived from cigarette butts on earthworm (Allolobophora caliginosa): Implications for soil health
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Researchers investigated how nanoplastics derived from cigarette butts, one of the most common forms of litter worldwide, affect earthworms in soil. Nanoplastics from smoked cigarette butts were the most toxic, causing increased mortality, growth suppression, DNA damage, and heightened oxidative stress compared to unsmoked or commercially produced cellulose acetate particles. The findings suggest that the combustion by-products absorbed by cigarette filters make their plastic waste significantly more harmful to soil organisms.
Can Cigarette Butt-Derived Cellulose Acetate Nanoplastics Induce Toxicity in Allolobophora caliginosa? Immunological, Biochemical, and Histopathological Insights
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Researchers tested the toxicity of nanoplastics derived from cigarette butts on earthworms, comparing smoked, unsmoked, and commercial cellulose acetate nanoparticles. The study found that all types of cigarette butt-derived nanoplastics caused immunological, biochemical, and tissue damage in the earthworms, with smoked cigarette butt nanoplastics showing the most severe toxic effects.
Bioaccumulation and biological effects of cigarette litter in marine worms
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Researchers exposed ragworms — common coastal sediment-dwelling invertebrates — to toxicants leached from smoked cigarette filters, finding significant harm including over 30% weight loss, longer burrowing time, and doubled DNA damage at concentrations 60 times lower than those found in urban runoff. Cigarette litter, which makes up the largest share of coastal debris worldwide, poses a serious but underappreciated threat to marine life through its chemical pollution.
Microplastics from cigarette filters: Comparative effects on selected terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates
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Researchers compared the effects of microplastics from smoked and unsmoked cigarette filters on both land and water invertebrates. Smoked filter microplastics were more toxic due to the added chemicals from tobacco smoke, causing reduced survival and reproduction in the test organisms. Since cigarette butts are one of the most littered items worldwide, this study shows they are a significant and underappreciated source of toxic microplastic pollution in the environment.
A Review of Environmental Pollution from the Use and Disposal of Cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes: Contaminants, Sources, and Impacts
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Researchers reviewed the environmental pollution caused by the use and disposal of cigarettes and electronic cigarettes, including their role as a source of microplastic contamination. Cigarette butts made of cellulose acetate are minimally degradable and represent a major source of both bulk plastic and microplastic pollution, particularly in aquatic ecosystems. The study documents that cigarette butt leachate and nicotine are toxic to a wide range of organisms from microbes to mammals.
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