Papers

61,005 results
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Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics from cigarette filters on two aquatic species and in vitro human lung cells

Researchers examined the effects of microplastics from cigarette filters on two aquatic species and conducted in vitro cell tests to assess human health risks. Cigarette filter microplastics caused toxicity in both aquatic organisms and human cells, underscoring the environmental and health hazards of this overlooked microplastic source.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics from cigarette filters on two aquatic species and in vitro human lung cells

Researchers assessed the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics derived from cigarette filters on two aquatic species and conducted in vitro tests for human cellular toxicity. Cigarette filter microplastics caused harm to both aquatic organisms and human cells, confirming them as a toxicologically relevant source.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics from cigarette filters: Comparative effects on selected terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates

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.

2025 Environmental Pollution 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics from unsmoked and smoked cigarette filters on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates

Researchers assessed the ecotoxicological effects of microplastics extracted from both unsmoked and smoked cigarette filters on aquatic invertebrates (rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus, water flea Daphnia magna) and terrestrial invertebrates (woodlice Porcellio scaber, mealworm Tenebrio molitor) across a concentration range of 1-100 mg/L. The study found that smoked cigarette filter microplastics caused greater toxicity than those from unsmoked filters, likely due to the additional chemical contaminants deposited during smoking.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics from unsmoked and smoked cigarette filters on aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates

Researchers exposed aquatic invertebrates (rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus, water flea Daphnia magna) and terrestrial invertebrates (woodlice Porcellio scaber, mealworm Tenebrio molitor) to microplastics derived from both unsmoked and smoked cigarette filters at concentrations ranging from 1 to 100 mg/L and assessed acute toxicity. The study found that cigarette butt-derived microplastics caused measurable adverse effects on multiple invertebrate species across both aquatic and terrestrial exposure routes.

2024 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics from cigarette filters: Comparative effects on selected terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates

Researchers compared the effects of microplastics derived from cigarette filters on selected terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, examining differences in toxicity across species and environments in a study published in Environmental Pollution.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Microplastics from cigarette filters: Comparative effects on selected terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates

Researchers generated raw data comparing the effects of microplastics derived from cigarette filters on selected terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates, supporting a published study in Environmental Pollution examining the comparative toxicity of cigarette filter-derived microplastics across different organism types.

2025 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Article Tier 2

Effects of microplastics from cigarette filters on terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates

Researchers prepared microplastics from cellulose acetate cigarette filter material, both pristine and UV-aged, and tested their effects on Daphnia magna, Tenebrio molitor mealworm larvae, and Porcellio scaber terrestrial crustaceans. Short-term exposure slightly altered immune parameters in woodlice while longer exposures caused no immune changes, and mealworm energy-related traits were also affected, indicating invertebrate-specific and dose-dependent responses to cigarette filter-derived microplastics.

2022 Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Review Tier 2

Review on the ecotoxicological impacts of plastic pollution on the freshwater invertebrate Daphnia

This review examines the ecotoxicological impacts of plastic pollution on the freshwater invertebrate Daphnia, a widely used model organism. Researchers highlight that microplastics affect Daphnia reproduction, growth, and survival, and that chemicals leaching from plastics may contribute additional toxic effects that transfer through food webs.

2022 Environmental Toxicology 54 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics contamination in branded cigarettes: Characterization and potential burning inhalation risk assessment

Analysis of 21 domestic and international cigarette brands found microplastics present in filter materials, raising concern about inhalation exposure during smoking as an underrecognized route of human microplastic intake.

2024 1 citations
Review Tier 2

A Review of Environmental Pollution from the Use and Disposal of Cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes: Contaminants, Sources, and Impacts

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.

2021 Sustainability 73 citations
Article Tier 2

Accumulation, depuration, and potential effects of environmentally representative microplastics towards Daphnia magna

Researchers created environmentally realistic microplastics by grinding common consumer products and tested their effects on Daphnia magna, a small freshwater organism widely used in toxicity studies. The organisms accumulated the microplastics and showed some ability to clear them over time, but the realistic microplastics caused different effects than the pristine laboratory plastics typically used in research. This suggests that many existing studies may underestimate the true environmental risk of microplastics.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Smokers’ behaviour and the toxicity of cigarette filters to aquatic life: a multidisciplinary study

Researchers combined behavioral observation of 597 smokers with ecotoxicity tests on cigarette filters, finding that younger smokers and those in groups were more likely to litter, and that cigarette filter fibers — made from semisynthetic plastics — are highly toxic to freshwater insect larvae even at very low concentrations. Sediment exposure was especially harmful, causing over 20% higher larval mortality and severely stunted growth and development.

2023 Microplastics and Nanoplastics 27 citations
Review Tier 2

Ecotoxicology of microplastics in Daphnia: A review focusing on microplastic properties and multiscale attributes of Daphnia

This review synthesizes research on how microplastics affect Daphnia, a key organism in aquatic food webs, across individual, population, and community levels. Researchers found that the toxicity of microplastics to Daphnia depends heavily on the physical and chemical properties of the particles, and that combined exposure with other pollutants can produce more severe effects. The study highlights Daphnia as an important indicator species for understanding how microplastic pollution cascades through aquatic ecosystems.

2022 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 71 citations
Article Tier 2

A review on cigarette butts: Environmental abundance, characterization, and toxic pollutants released into water from cigarette butts

This review examines the environmental impact of discarded cigarette butts, which number in the trillions worldwide each year and are among the most common litter items. Researchers found that cigarette filters release harmful substances including heavy metals, nicotine, and cellulose acetate microplastic fibers when they enter water. The study highlights that cigarette butt pollution represents a significant but often overlooked source of both chemical contamination and microplastic pollution in aquatic environments.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Cigarette butts as a source of urban ecosystem pollution

Cigarette butts—the world's most littered item at ~4.5 trillion discarded annually—introduce over 4,000 chemicals into ecosystems and are a major source of microplastic fibers from cellulose acetate filters, with this review analyzing the toxicity of cigarette butt filtrate to aquatic and terrestrial organisms.

2025 E3S Web of Conferences
Article Tier 2

Smoked cigarette butts: Unignorable source for environmental microplastic fibers

Researchers highlight that discarded cigarette butts, made of cellulose acetate plastic, are an overlooked but major source of environmental microplastic fibers, with each butt containing over 15,000 detachable plastic strands. They estimate that approximately 300,000 tons of potential microplastic fibers from cigarette butts may enter aquatic environments annually. The study notes that these fibers also carry toxic substances like nicotine and carcinogenic compounds that can harm aquatic organisms.

2021 The Science of The Total Environment 102 citations
Article Tier 2

Ecotoxicological effects of cellulose acetate nanoplastic derived from cigarette butts on earthworm (Allolobophora caliginosa): Implications for soil health

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.

2025 Environmental Research 4 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

The effect of microplastics on Daphnia fitness – Systematic review and meta‐analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis examines how micro- and nanoplastics affect the health and reproduction of Daphnia, a key freshwater organism used in toxicity testing. The findings confirm that plastic particles can harm these organisms, which is significant because Daphnia are a foundational species in freshwater ecosystems connected to human water supplies.

2024 Freshwater Biology 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Uptake and effects of microplastic textile fibers on freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna

Researchers exposed the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna to ground PET textile microfibers for 48 hours and found that fiber ingestion increased mortality in food-deprived organisms and that daphnids could not recover after transfer to clean water, providing the first evidence of PET textile microfiber bioavailability and toxicity in a standard ecotoxicology model.

2016 Environmental Pollution 594 citations
Article Tier 2

Effects of chronic exposure to environmentally realistic microplastics on Daphnia magna: importance of particle size and morphology and implications for risk assessments

Scientists tested how tiny plastic particles from everyday items like nylon fibers and polystyrene cups affect small water creatures called Daphnia over 21 days. They found that these microplastics get eaten by the creatures and can harm their ability to reproduce and grow, especially the fiber-shaped plastics. This matters because it shows how plastic pollution in water can damage aquatic life, and since microplastics are also found in our drinking water and food, understanding these effects helps us better assess potential risks to human health.

2026 The Science of The Total Environment
Article Tier 2

Emerging threat of marine microplastics: Cigarette butt contamination on Yellow Sea beaches and the potential toxicity risks to rotifer growth and reproduction

This study surveyed cigarette butt pollution along eight Yellow Sea beaches and tested how their chemical leachate and plastic fibers affect tiny marine animals called rotifers. The cigarette butts released harmful chemicals and microplastic fibers that reduced rotifer reproduction and survival. Since cigarette filters are made of plastic that breaks into microplastics, discarded butts are a significant but often overlooked source of microplastic pollution in coastal areas.

2024 Journal of Hazardous Materials 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Microplastics and toxic leachate from littered cigarette butts threaten the environment, biodiversity, and human well-being

Observation of a butterfly drinking from a littered cigarette butt prompted this review of the environmental and health impacts of cigarette waste, highlighting cigarette filters as a major source of microplastic pollution and calling for sustainable mitigation measures from manufacturers and policymakers.

2024 Microplastics 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Bioaccumulation and biological effects of cigarette litter in marine worms

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.

2015 Scientific Reports 129 citations