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Cigarette: an unsung anthropogenic evil in the environment

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Abstract

The world’s population is growing steadily, and this trend is mirrored by a sharp rise in the number of people who smoke cigarettes. Instead of properly disposing of their cigarette waste, most people simply toss them aside, leading to serious environmental consequences. According to previous statistics, in 2012 alone, 6.25 trillion cigarettes were consumed by 967 million chain smokers. Past studies have shown that up to 30% of global litter is made up of cigarette waste. These discarded cigarette butts are non-biodegradable and contain over 7000 toxicants such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, nitrosamine ketone, N-Nitrosonornicotine, nicotine, formaldehyde, acrolein, ammonia, aniline, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and various heavy metals. These toxicants have a negative impact on the habitats of wildlife and can cause serious health problems such as cancer, respiratory disorders, cardiac issues, and sexual dysfunction. Although it is still unclear how littered cigarettes affect plant growth, germination, and development, it is clear that they have the potential to harm plant health. Just like single-use plastic, trashed cigarette butts are a critical new rising form of pollution that requires scientific attention for effective recycling and disposal management. It is important to properly dispose of cigarette waste to protect the environment and wildlife, as well as to prevent harm to human health.

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Data availability

The data and materials that support the findings of the study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

Abbreviations

CA:

Cellulose acetate

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

HMs:

Heavy metals

PAHs:

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

CBs:

Cigarette butts

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Plant Bioenergetics and Biotechnology Laboratory, Department of Botany, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, 313001, Rajasthan, India

    Garishma Shah, Upma Bhatt & Vineet Soni

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  1. Garishma Shah
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  2. Upma Bhatt
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  3. Vineet Soni
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VS conceived the idea; GS and UB wrote the whole manuscript. The complete manuscript was supervised and revised by VS.

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Correspondence to Vineet Soni.

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Shah, G., Bhatt, U. & Soni, V. Cigarette: an unsung anthropogenic evil in the environment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 59151–59162 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-26867-9

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