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A Review of Environmental Pollution from the Use and Disposal of Cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes: Contaminants, Sources, and Impacts
- Source :
- Sustainability, Vol 13, Iss 12994, p 12994 (2021)
- Publication Year :
- 2021
- Publisher :
- MDPI AG, 2021.
-
Abstract
- While the impacts of cigarette smoking on human health are widely known, a less recognized impact of tobacco product use and disposal is environmental pollution. This review discusses the current literature related to cigarette and e-cigarette contamination in the context of environmental sources and impacts, with a focus on the documented influences on biota, ranging from bacteria to mammals. Cigarette butts and electronic cigarette components can leach contaminants into soil, water, and air. Cellulose acetate cigarette filters comprising the butts are minimally degradable and are a source of bulk plastic and microplastic pollution, especially in aquatic ecosystems where they tend to accumulate. Cigarette combustion and aerosol production during e-cigarette use result in air contamination from sidestream, exhaled, and thirdhand pathways. The chemical byproducts of tobacco product use contaminate wastewater effluents, landfill leachates, and urban storm drains. The widespread detection of nicotine and cotinine in the environment illustrates the potential for large-scale environmental impacts of tobacco product waste. Studies show that cigarette butt leachate and nicotine are toxic to microbes, plants, benthic organisms, bivalves, zooplankton, fish, and mammals; however, there remain critical knowledge gaps related to the environmental impacts of tobacco product waste on environmental health and ecosystem functioning.
- Subjects :
- Pollution
Microplastics
environmental contamination
microplastics
media_common.quotation_subject
Geography, Planning and Development
TJ807-830
Context (language use)
Environmental pollution
Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
TD194-195
Renewable energy sources
law.invention
law
tobacco product waste
GE1-350
cotinine
media_common
Environmental effects of industries and plants
Waste management
Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
Aquatic ecosystem
fungi
Contamination
Environmental sciences
Wastewater
cigarette butts
Environmental science
Electronic cigarette
nicotine
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 20711050
- Volume :
- 13
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Sustainability
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....eb470305e4e2337985e57fd9a43fcc01
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su132312994