Leachates from Cigarette Butts Can Persist in Marine Sediment

摘要

Cigarette butts (CBs) can travel via stormwater runoff so they are very common on the beach. While there is evidence they can leach toxic chemicals into water, there is not much information about their behavior in sediment. We buried CBs in aquaria containing marine sediment at a concentration of 0.025 CB/g, and sampled it after 0, 5, 10, 20, 45, and 60 days. The sediment was solvent-extracted and analyzed by GC/MS. The chromatograms were compared to those of CB extracts to look for compounds in common. Nicotine, beta -nicotyrine, myosmine, cotinine, linear alkanes, and xylenol were detected in the sediment up to 60 days from exposure so the leachates could have long-term impact on benthic fauna. The tobacco alkaloids or its metabolites could be used as specific markers of cigarette litter in sediment monitoring. These outcomes support the need for stricter regulation on cigarette waste to prevent it from reaching aquatic environments.