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Thursday, March 06, 2008
Cigar butts endanger humans, nature (10:07 a.m.)
MANILA -- Environmental groups said smoking is generally bad for humans and the environment.
According to the Ecowaste Coalition, cigarette is not only harmful to the body's health but it is also causes damage to the environment.
The indiscriminate throwing of cigarette butts as 30 million Filipinos puff tobacco products and just throw them in places that can endanger both humans and animals.
"Butts may look small but the quantity of carelessly thrown butts in the environment can pose real toxic threats to humans and wildlife," the group said.
They said it takes about 25 years for cigarette butts to rot as they are made of cellulose acetate, a type of plastic in the filters that resists biodegradation.
The discarded butts also leach toxic chemicals into the water and soil as they corrode into tiny plastic powder.
These things are also carried by the wind and rain to rivers and oceans where birds and fishes mistake them for food. Littered butts contribute to sediment pollution.
Data from the Ocean Conservancy showed that 7 million pounds of litter were collected from the international clean up of beaches and shorelines in 2006 in the Philippines and 67 other countries.
About 1.9 million discarded cigarette butts were collected out of the approximate 4.5 trillion butts scattered every year across the globe.
Ecowaste said cigarette filters could lead to digestive blockages when ingested by animals because of toxic chemicals they contain like arsenic, cadmium, and lead.
The website of the US-based Center for Disease Control said arsenic is used in paint products, insecticides, and wood preservatives. Arsenic is also known to cause cancer in humans. (FP/Sunnex) |
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