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Cigarette butts toxic to fish, say researchers

Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on November 21, 2009 at 8:18 am

cigarette buttsFrom CBC News:

“Cigarette butts are toxic to fish and should be labeled as toxic hazardous waste, U.S. researchers say.

Scientists at San Diego State University say that a single cigarette butt containing a small amount of unburnt tobacco is enough to contaminate a litre of water and kill half of the fish swimming in it.

“Based on this new research, we believe that cigarettes should be considered toxic waste and new requirements need to be established for how they are disposed,” Tom Novotny, a public health professor at San Diego State University, said in a statement.

The researchers tested the toxicity of the tobacco on fresh and saltwater fish: fathead minnows and top smelt — two species that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency typically uses in pollution studies. … “

Read more from the CBC News by clicking here.

Picture of cigarette butts by flickr photographer Axolot (Creative Commons).

November 21, 2009 · Filed Under Water Quality

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