Cigarette butts, a threat for marine environments: Lessons from benthic foraminifera (Protista)

Caridi, Francesca; Sabbatini, Anna; Birarda, Giovanni; Costanzi, Elisa; Giudici, Giovanni De; Galeazzi, Roberta; Medas, Daniela; Mobbili, Giovanna; Ricciutelli, Massimo; Ruello, Maria Letizia; Vaccari, Lisa; Negri, Alessandra

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2020.105150

Cited by 37 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Toxicity due to the presence of CB in aquatic environments has been demonstrated by numerous investigations including different marine species from unicellular organisms such as foraminifera [25] to larger ones such as invertebrates and fish [22,26]. Environmental groups have expressed concerns for marine creatures that ingest littered filters [8,27].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Asensio-Montesinos

Ramírez

Aguilar-Torrelo

et al. 2021

JMSE

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Litter on beaches is one of the most difficult problems in coastal management and every year, much efforts and public money are invested to try to alleviate and solve the problem. Cigarette butts (CB) are among the most widespread abandoned personal items in the world. In Spain, they are found on all types of beaches, where they are discarded by beach users; however, rivers and streams can also deposit CB on shores. This paper analyses the abundance of CB on different beaches in Southern Spain in order to address and better understand this relevant environmental problem and propose sound solutions to decrease or eliminate their presence. The main factors favouring CB accumulation were identified, namely the seasonality and number of beach users, beach typology (remote, rural, village or urban sites), type of beach sediment and methods and frequency of cleaning operations. Mean and median CB abundance values per 100 m of beach length, calculated from all the data used in this study, were 159 and 68 items, respectively. The largest number of CB were observed at urban sites, followed by village, rural and remote beaches. Further, sand beaches registered higher values of CB than cobble or pebble beaches.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Asensio-Montesinos

Ramírez

Aguilar-Torrelo

et al. 2021

JMSE

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“…As an example, Slaughter et al (2011) [17] recorded in marine fish LC 50 values of 1.8 CB/L of water and 5.1 CB/L of water, respectively, for smoked and unsmoked cigarette butts. Caridi and colleagues (2020) [31] showed that 4.0 CB/L of water is sufficient to determine shell decalcification and death in benthic foraminifera (Protista). The low ecotoxicological risk for electronic cigarettes is in accordance with results collected by Parker and Rayburn (2017) [36], who tested the potential developmental toxicities of three different cigarette butt leachates (regular cigarette butts, menthol, and electronic) in the frog embryo teratogenesis assay, Xenopus (FETAX).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the absence of scientific data on the toxicity of ECBs, a relatively high non-environmental concentration (10 CB/L) was chosen. In fact, several studies have shown that a concentration of 10 classic CB/L is able to clearly induce toxicity in marine organisms such as benthic foraminifera [31], marine polychaetae, [28] and brackish water fish [29].…”

Section: Preparation Of the Leachates And Elutriatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Sediqualsoft® to Determine the Toxicity of Cigarette Butts to Marine Species: A Weather Simulation Test

Piccardo

Provenza

Anselmi³

et al. 2021

JMSE

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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).

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“…Although a wide variety of marine litter can be found (e.g., glass from different sources-carpentry, jars, glass beverage and bottles; metals-aluminum cans being the most commonly found metal item; textiles; papers), plastics are the most abundant type [4,8,9], associated with high production and use, as well as high resistance to degradation and persistence in the environment [4]. Cigarette butts are among the most frequent litter discarded and found in beaches [8,10,11]. It has been estimated that, of the 6 trillion cigarettes yearly smoked worldwide, 4.5 trillion are discarded as litter in the environment [8,11,12].…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Cigarette butts are among the most frequent litter discarded and found in beaches [8,10,11]. It has been estimated that, of the 6 trillion cigarettes yearly smoked worldwide, 4.5 trillion are discarded as litter in the environment [8,11,12]. This type of litter is of environmental concern as a large number of compounds may be found in cigarettes, some of which have carcinogenic and mutagenic potential.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Perspectives on Micro(Nano)Plastics in the Marine Environment: Biological and Societal Considerations

Soares

Miguel

Venâncio

et al. 2020

Water

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Marine litter is a global problem which has been negatively affecting the environment. Plastic materials are the most commonly found marine debris, with potential biological (not only for aquatic organisms but also for humans) as well as socio-economic impacts. Considering that it is an anthropogenic problem, society could play an important role to minimize it. Although a considerable amount of research has addressed the biological effects of plastics (micro(nano)plastics) on biota, few studies have addressed how scientific information is being transmitted to the public and the potential role of citizen environmental education. The current paper discusses known effects, researched topics and how scientific knowledge is currently being transmitted to the public.

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Cigarette butts, a threat for marine environments: Lessons from benthic foraminifera (Protista)

Cited by 37 publications

References 57 publications

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Abundance and Distribution of Cigarette Butts on Coastal Environments: Examples from Southern Spain

Use of Sediqualsoft® to Determine the Toxicity of Cigarette Butts to Marine Species: A Weather Simulation Test

Perspectives on Micro(Nano)Plastics in the Marine Environment: Biological and Societal Considerations

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