Abstract
Smoking is a social phenomenon of global scope. The impacts start from the cultivation of the plant to the disposal of cigarette butts in the most diverse places. These aspects go beyond economic and public health issues, also affecting natural environments and their biota in a serious and indistinct way. Of the six trillion cigarettes consumed globally each year, four and a half trillion are disposed somewhere in the environment. Cigarette butts are predominantly plastic, non-biodegradable waste, prevalent in coastal environments in various parts of the world, and with high potential for generating impacts on a wide range of socioeconomic and environmental aspects. Among the 5000 compounds found in a cigarette, those with higher toxic potential are mainly concentrated in the filter and in tobacco remnants, which are items found in discarded cigarette butts. After surveying published studies on this topic, the present study addressed the interaction between the impacts related to tobacco smoking, highlighting the problem as an important and emerging issue that demands joint efforts, and actions especially focused on the reduction of environmental impacts, an aspect that has not yet been assessed.
Highlights
Cigarettes usually have two basic components: processed tobacco and a synthetic filter
The compounds with higher toxic potential are mainly concentrated in the remnants of tobacco and the filters after consumption, which are exactly the items that compose the discarded cigarette butts [3,4]
Unlike cellulose, which can be biodegraded by several organisms that produce the cellulose enzyme, cellulose acetate has a limited potential for biodegradation, because it is a synthetic product obtained from the modification of cellulose by chemical processes
Summary
Cigarettes usually have two basic components: processed tobacco and a synthetic filter (both wrapped in paper). The compounds with higher toxic potential are mainly concentrated in the remnants of tobacco and the filters after consumption, which are exactly the items that compose the discarded cigarette butts [3,4]. Unlike cellulose, which can be biodegraded by several organisms that produce the cellulose enzyme, cellulose acetate has a limited potential for biodegradation, because it is a synthetic product obtained from the modification of cellulose by chemical processes It is photodegradable, its disintegration is probably hampered by high fiber compaction and addition of plasticizers [8]. I.e., at all stages, involving tobacco planting, cigarette preparation, consumption, and disposal of cigarette butts, there is a strong influence on socioeconomic and environmental aspects, with numerous and wide impacts on human health and the environment
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