Opportunity to take a stand against Microplastic and Heavy Metal Pollution
Potential Ban on Single use Filter Cigarettes
State Senator Krueger introduced S 1278 to ban the sale of single use filter cigarettes (A/K/A/ butts) and e-cigarettes in New York State. Cigarette butts are a danger to humans, they are an environmental hazard, and the filters to not protect the health of smokers.
- Cigarette butts are a danger to humans: They are the most littered item in the world, with 4.5 trillion disposed of annually, and making their way into rivers, streams, water tables and oceans. Unbeknownst to most people, cigarette filters are made of 95% cellulose acetate, a man-made synthetic fiber - a form of plastic - which does not decompose like organic material, and can take up to 10 years to decay, and even then, it is still microplastic.
- They are and Environmental hazard: When smokers casually toss their butts to the ground, they don't think about environmental consequences. If they are not placed into trash cans and taken to landfills, the butts are swept up by the millions from sidewalks and streets, and flow into our waterways. Once there, the heavy metals, including lead, cadmium and arsenic trapped in the filter fibers, leach into the water and soil, contaminating our streams, rivers, oceans, and wildlife, working up the food chain to our dinner tables, and potentially tainting our drinking water supply. (https://www.manhattanswab.org/news/the-cigarette-butt-tour)
- Filters do not Protect Smokers: According to experts at the NRDC (Natural Resource Defense Council) “Although filters may give the impression of a healthier product, they do not, in fact, make cigarettes safer. They are simply a marketing device. If anything, filters create a more dangerous product. Because the sensation of filtered smoking feels less harsh, smokers tend to smoke more of the product and inhale more deeply. Those deeper inhalations draw the carcinogens in the smoke further into the lung tissue.”* “A 2017 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute reviewing recent medical literature on the topic concluded that “filter ventilation has contributed to the rise in lung adenocarcinomas among smokers,” one of the most dangerous forms of lung cancer…”
**Kicking Butts: NY Bill Proposes Banning Filtered Cigarettes
**Cigarette Butt Litter Solutions
The Manhattan Solid Advisory Board has launched the NoButts campaign that includes scanning Manhattan neighborhoods for the butts. Here’s a photo from one of our events featuring our butt costume.
Next is a link to a Gothamist article and an NPR audio file by Rosemary Misdary about the NoButts campaign: Foes Of The Single-Use Filter — Meet The New Yorkers Who Want To Eliminate The Cigarette Butt
The NoButts campaign includes promoting Senator Krueger’s bill to ban the sale of single use filter cigarettes and e-cigarettes. This action urgently needs your help and support.
