Abstract
Cigarette butts (CBs) are among the dominant constituents of marine and beach litter. Few studies have been conducted, and the environmental effects of CBs on marine species are still poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects on marine organisms of both classic and electronic CBs. Three representative species of different trophic levels in marine ecosystems (Aliivibrio fischeri, bacteria; Phaeodactylum tricornutum, algae, primary producers; Paracentrotus lividus, echinoderms, consumers) were tested. The effects of natural ageing of CBs due to exposure to atmospheric conditions (natural sunlight vs. simulated rain) and for different times (1 vs. 2 weeks) were evaluated. The results were weighted together to obtain a synthetic hazard level to the environment (Class of Hazard) from Sediqualsoft®. Classic CBs (CCBs) performed the worst and posed a mild to moderate risk compared to electronic CBs (absent Class of Hazard). Smoked classic CBs posed a higher environmental risk than unsmoked. The highest risk was produced by classic CBs after one week of exposure in dry weather. Echinoderms and the body size reduction in normo-formed (72 h) plutei were shown to be the more sensitive organism and endpoint, respectively. We recommend the use of Sediqualsoft® software for risk assessment studies of sediments contaminated with contaminants of various types, especially in conjunction with a weight of evidence approach (WOE).
Highlights
Marine litter is defined as “any persistent, manufactured or processed material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment” [1]
Our results highlighted that classic cigarette butts, the smoked ones, produced higher hazard and higher ecotoxicological risks compared to electronic cigarette butts
An “absent” Class of Hazard was assigned to electronic cigarettes; on the contrary, classic Cigarette butts (CBs) represented a “slight” and “moderate” ecotoxicological risk, for unsmoked and smoked CBs, respectively
Summary
Marine litter is defined as “any persistent, manufactured or processed material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment” [1]. Cigarette butts earn the first place in the top 10 list of most frequently collected items during beach clean-ups realized by volunteers [7]. Their relative abundance within marine litter on continental coasts is extremely variable and capable of reaching values >40% [8,9,10,11,12]. Local authority clean-up efforts are quite successful at collecting larger pieces of beach litter (as reported in the study performed on Cyprus island; [15]); smaller pieces, such as cigarette butts and other plastic items related to recreational activities, may remain on the beaches or become a potential source of marine litter [15]. They accumulate and become an integral part of the beach system: they can be buried, remain exposed to solar radiation, or encounter the seawater and rain, potentially releasing the large number of chemical substances known to be present in cigarettes
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