The chemical components of cigarette butts are toxic to fish , both freshwater and saltwater, and can even cause their death, according to a study carried out by researchers at the University of San Diego (United States) .
The work, which has been published in the British Medical Journal , points out that the most harmful cigarette butts for animals are those that keep traces of smoked tobacco in the filter . Specifically, half of the fish used in the experiment became ill or died when they were introduced into the water in which such a cigarette butt had been introduced. For cigarette butts that do not contain tobacco residues, the lethal dose was 1.8 butts per liter for seawater species and 4.3 butts per liter for freshwater species.
In addition, the researchers conducted the tests with filters of non-smoking cigarettes. In this case, it took between 5.1 and 13.5 cigarette butts per liter to poison the animals. The glue used in cigarettes is also toxic to these animals, the study authors conclude.
