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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Cellulose acetate cigarette filter is hazardous to human health
ClearProtecting public health and the environment: towards a general ban on cellulose acetate cigarette filters in the European Union
This paper reviewed evidence on cellulose acetate cigarette filters, finding that they encourage smoking, are inhaled more deeply, and are a significant source of persistent plastic pollution, supporting calls for a general ban on cellulose acetate filters.
Tiny but Deadly: a Threat to Environment
This study quantified toxic metals leaching from discarded cigarette butts — the most common form of plastic litter — finding that both the filter and the whole butt release metals into water. Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate plastic and represent a poorly recognized source of chemical pollution in the environment.
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.
Cigarette butts as a microfiber source with a microplastic level of concern
Researchers investigated whether cigarette butts are a significant source of microfiber pollution by analyzing smoked and unsmoked filters. They found that cigarette filters release large quantities of cellulose acetate microfibers, with smoked filters releasing even more than unsmoked ones due to degradation during use. The study identifies discarded cigarette butts as an overlooked but substantial contributor to microplastic pollution in the environment.
Review on Recycling of Microplastics in Cigarette Butts
This review examined the problem of cigarette butt waste, noting that cellulose acetate filters take approximately 10 years to degrade and represent a globally pervasive source of microplastic pollution. The authors surveyed recycling approaches for cigarette butts including fiber recovery and use in construction materials.
Koja je cijena pušenja? – Opasnosti za okoliš
This Croatian paper reviews the environmental hazards of cigarette butt litter, noting that approximately 80% of cigarette butts are discarded into the environment. Cigarette filters are made from cellulose acetate, a polymer that degrades slowly and leaches toxic chemicals into soil and water. The authors discuss biodegradable filter alternatives as a strategy to reduce plastic pollution from tobacco products.
Recovery of cellulose acetate bioplastic from cigarette butts: realization of a sustainable sorbent for water remediation
Researchers developed a method to recycle cellulose acetate plastic from discarded cigarette filters — one of the world's most common litter items — and repurpose it into a sponge-like material that removes pollutants from water with over 79% efficiency, turning a major source of microplastic pollution into a useful cleanup tool.
Fate of nanoplastics in the environment: Implication of the cigarette butts
This study investigated cigarette butts as an underrecognized source of nanoplastic pollution, finding that cellulose acetate filters can fragment into nanoscale particles that disperse in the environment. Given the enormous volume of cigarette litter worldwide, butts may represent a significant and overlooked nanoplastic pathway.
Influence of Weathering on the Degradation of Cellulose Acetate Microplastics Obtained from Used Cigarette Butts
Researchers compared how two types of cigarette filters — traditional ones and newer heated tobacco product filters — break down when exposed to simulated weathering conditions. They found that both release cellulose acetate microplastics into the environment, and the newer products also contain a polylactic acid film that adds another source of plastic pollution. The study suggests that despite marketing claims, newer tobacco products still contribute to environmental microplastic contamination through their discarded filters.
Time to kick the butt of the most common litter item in the world: Ban cigarette filters
Researchers argue that cigarette filters, made of cellulose acetate single-use plastic, offer no public health benefit while being the most littered item globally and a significant source of microplastics, toxic chemical leaching, and ecological harm.
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.
The environmental and health impacts of tobacco agriculture, cigarette manufacture and consumption
This review examines the environmental footprint of tobacco beyond the well-known health harms, covering impacts at every stage from crop growing to cigarette butt disposal. Cigarette filters — which are made of plastic — are among the most common items found in environmental litter surveys, contributing both microplastics and toxic chemicals to soil and water.
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.
A review of occurrence and concentrations of cellulose acetate and other artificial cellulose microfibers in aquatic environmental matrices: an indicator of cigarette butts’ contamination?
This review examines the occurrence of cellulose acetate microfibers in aquatic environments, primarily originating from discarded cigarette butts, which are among the most littered items worldwide. The authors found that cellulose acetate is one of the most frequently detected microfiber types in water, sediment, and marine organisms, with higher accumulations in sediment and bottom-dwelling animals. The study suggests that cellulose acetate levels could serve as an indicator of cigarette butt contamination in the environment.
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.
Cellulosic Materials from Cigarette Butts for Additive Manufacturing
Researchers recovered cellulose acetate from waste cigarette butts through water and ethanol washes followed by dissolution and reprecipitation, characterised the recovered polymer against commercial and unsmoked filter cellulose acetate, and converted it into feedstock for 3D printing.
Cigarette filters as a major source of microfibers in aquatic environments.
This study found that discarded cigarette butts persistently release cellulose acetate microfibers into aquatic environments, identifying cigarette filters as a major and underappreciated source of microfiber pollution. The research quantified microfiber release rates under simulated environmental conditions.
A preliminary study on 3D printing feedstock derived from cellulose recovered from cigarette butts
Not relevant to microplastics — this study describes a process for recovering cellulose acetate from waste cigarette butts and converting it into feedstock for 3D printing, focusing on material recovery rather than microplastic pollution.
Degradation Characteristics of Cellulose Acetate in Different Aqueous Conditions
Researchers studied the degradation behavior of cellulose acetate (used in cigarette filters and packaging) under different aqueous conditions, providing fundamental information needed to address its environmental persistence.
Modelling the global economic costs of tobacco product waste
Researchers modeled the global economic costs of improper tobacco product waste disposal, focusing on the cellulose acetate filters in cigarette butts, which are the world's most collected litter item. The modeling estimated substantial municipal cleanup costs and environmental damage costs attributable to cigarette butt waste globally, providing economic arguments for filter bans.
A preliminary investigation of associated chemicals in cigarette butt waste from the tourist beach area of North Jakarta, Indonesia
Cigarette butts collected from a tourist beach in North Jakarta were found to contain a complex mixture of aliphatic and aromatic chemicals, despite the beach receiving regular cleaning. Because cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate — a persistent plastic-like material — this study highlights that cigarette butt litter is both a significant form of beach plastic pollution and a chemical contamination source in coastal environments.
The unignorable ecological impact of cigarette butts in the ocean: an underestimated and under-researched concern
This opinion piece argues that cigarette butts — which contain plastic cellulose acetate filters that fragment into microplastics — are a significantly underestimated source of ocean plastic pollution. Billions of cigarette butts are discarded each year, and recognizing them as a major microplastic source is important for designing more effective litter-reduction policies.
Investigating the inflammatory effect of microplastics in cigarette butts on peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Researchers exposed human immune cells to microplastic fibers from cigarette filters (made of cellulose acetate) and found they triggered a significant inflammatory response. At higher concentrations, the microfibers reduced cell survival and caused immune cells to release inflammatory signaling molecules (TNF-alpha and IL-6). Since cigarette filter microplastics are found widely in water, soil, and air, this suggests they could cause harmful inflammation when they enter the human body.
A Comprehensive Study of Biodegradation of Cigarette Filters and Bidi Butts
This study assessed the biodegradation of cigarette filters and bidi butts using standardized international methods. Cigarette filters, made of cellulose acetate plastic, are among the most littered items globally and degrade slowly into microplastics. The research quantifies degradation rates to better understand the environmental persistence of this common litter.