A Review of Environmental Pollution from the Use and Disposal of Cigarettes and Electronic Cigarettes: Contaminants, Sources, and Impacts
24 Nov 2021-Sustainability (Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)-Vol. 13, Iss: 23, pp 12994
TL;DR: A review of 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, is presented in this paper.
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.
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TL;DR: In this article , the authors present a current synthesis of the litter problem from all its possible aspects in order to have a global vision of the life cycle of the CB, indicating both the known and the gaps in the knowledge of each of them, and intends to give a general outline of the steps to follow to try to end such a worrying problem at the global level.
8 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the concentrations of elements/metals, nicotine, flavor chemicals and acids were compared in the e-liquids of unused and used first-generation electronic cigarettes (ECs) that were stored for 5-10 years.
Abstract: The concentrations of elements/metals, nicotine, flavor chemicals and acids were compared in the e-liquids of unused and used first-generation electronic cigarettes (ECs) that were stored for 5–10 years. Metal analysis was performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy; nicotine and flavor chemical analyses were performed using gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy. Of the 22 elements analyzed, 10 (aluminum, chromium, copper, iron, lead, nickel, selenium, silicon, tin, zinc) were often found in the e-liquids. Five elements had the highest average concentrations: copper (1161.6 mg/L), zinc (295.8 mg/L), tin (287.6 mg/L), nickel (71.1 mg/L), and lead (50.3 mg/L). Nicotine concentrations were always lower than label concentrations indicated. Of the 181 flavor chemicals analyzed, 11 were detected in at least one sample, with hydroxyacetone being present in all samples. In used products, some flavor chemicals appeared to be by-products of heating. E-liquids with the highest concentrations of acids and the lowest pH levels also had the highest concentrations of elements/metals. Metal concentrations in e-liquids increased after use in some products, and some metal concentrations, such as nickel, were high enough to be a health concern. Leachates from discarded ECs could contribute toxic metals/chemicals to the environment, supporting the need for better regulation of atomizer design, composition, and disposal.
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article , the adverse impacts of indoor pollution on the human ocular surface were summarized, and the importance of reducing associated contaminants to decrease their detrimental effects on human eyes was highlighted.
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TL;DR: The authors explored e-cigarette exposure and patterns of vaping in a sample of Australians aged 15-30 years to provide insight into potential means of minimising young people's harm from e-cigarettes.
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TL;DR: In this paper , the authors analyze the factors responsible for cigarette butt littering, and associated environmental ramifications, and review all the possible technical, behavioural, and policy-based solutions, highlighting the urgent need for policymakers to enforce regulations enabling innovative cigarette designs, the creation of deposit-refund schemes, extended producer responsibility and stringent waste collection mechanisms.
1 citations
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