Cigarette Filters What’s the problem?

Do cigarette filters make smoking less harmful? Do you believe this statement to be TRUE or FALSE? Show of hands – who believes cigarette filters make smoking less harmful?

FALSE Cigarette filters do not provide health benefits!

Do cigarette filters affect health? Cigarette filters do not reduce the harm caused to smokers. They trap some of the tar and smoke particles from lit cigarettes and cool the smoke slightly – that just makes it slightly easier to inhale. Filters don’t reduce the intake of harmful chemicals by smokers. Filters suggest to smokers that the cigarette is less harmful but they merely serve to make the smoke inhaled feel less harsh.

Plastic filters: what’s the problem? Almost all cigarettes contain a filter made of fibers of cellulose acetate – a form of plastic. Plastic cigarette filters are the most pervasive form of plastic litter in the world. They’re unnecessary from a health point of view. More than 4.5 trillion cigarette butts make their way into the environment every year. 122 tons of cigarette butts and cigarette related litter is dropped every day in the UK. Cigarette filters eventually degrade but it can take up to 12 years. Cigarette butts leak toxins that contaminate water and harm marine life and the environment. They have been found in the stomachs of fish, birds, whales and other creatures who mistake them for food.

Did you know? The cost of clearing smoking related litter in Scotland has been estimated at £34 million per year.

What can be done about it? Discuss some of the steps we could take to reduce plastic waste. Think about the positives and negatives, who’s responsible for making the change and how can it happen?