Cigarette Butts Are Poisonous To Fish

Posted: January 2, 2012 | tobacco | cigarette, cigarette butts, environment, fish, pollution, smoking, tobacco | 0 Comments

It’s estimated that some 4.5 trillion cigarette butts are thrown on the ground or in bodies of water each year. For the record, there are 12 zeros in a trillion, that’s a whole lot of litter.

We know that butts can be harmful to many animals if they happen to ingest them but a new study out of San Diego State University suggests that not all animals have to consume the butts to be harmed by them. Fish could very well be the most helpless animal when it comes to cigarette butts.

According to the SDSU study, one cigarette butt with traces of tobacco left on it can turn a single liter of water yellowish brown and kill 50% of any fish living in it. If the butts are free of any lingering tobacco, 4 butts will have the same effect on a liter of water. When immersed in water, butts become deadly because they emit poisonous toxins such as nicotine, carcinogens, metals and benzene.

Unlike land animals that have to eat the butts to be harmed, fish just have to breath the poison in through their gills. The poisonous effects of butts harm both freshwater and saltwater fish equally. Food for thought: in beach cleanups, cigarette butts are the number one item people find in the sand. Bad day to be a fish.