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Overlooked hazard of cigarette butts and associated trace metals in the beach environment and implications for management and environmental sustainability.

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Title: Overlooked hazard of cigarette butts and associated trace metals in the beach environment and implications for management and environmental sustainability.
Authors: Das N; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India., Maiti B; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India., De K; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India. Electronic address: kalyandeaqua@gmail.com., Vudamala K; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India., Sen A; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India.
Source: Marine pollution bulletin [Mar Pollut Bull] 2026 Sep; Vol. 230, pp. 119889. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 May 19.
Publication Type: Journal Article
Language: English
Journal Info: Publisher: Elsevier Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 0260231 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1879-3363 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 0025326X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Mar Pollut Bull Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s): Publication: 2003- : Oxford : Elsevier
Original Publication: London, Macmillan.
MeSH Terms: Metals, Heavy*/analysis , Water Pollutants, Chemical*/analysis , Environmental Monitoring* , Bathing Beaches* , Tobacco Products*, Seashore ; Conservation of Natural Resources
Abstract: Cigarette butts (CBs) are among the most pervasive anthropogenic litter globally, posing significant environmental challenges due to their toxic chemical constituents and cellulose acetate filters. In coastal areas, improperly discarded CBs accumulate and persist, adversely impacting both terrestrial and marine organisms and ecosystems. This study investigates the abundance, pollution status, and concentrations of heavy metals in CBs across eight tourist beaches along the Goa coast in the Eastern Arabian Sea. The mean density of CBs was recorded as 3.15 ± 0.74 CBs/m2 [ranged 0.53 ± 0.15 to 5.77 ± 0.77 CBs/m2 among beaches]. To assess the pollution status, we used the Cigarette Butt Pollution Index (CBPI), which indicates severe pollution at all the studied beaches, likely due to the high influx of beach visitors. Hazardous Item Index (HII) values further revealed that tourist beaches are more prone to high CB accumulation. Additionally, this study demonstrates that CBs from different beaches have varying concentrations of heavy metals. However, metal concentrations appear to be in a safe-to-moderate range, though Cu and Zn are somewhat elevated. The CB pollution emphasizes the need for stringent tobacco control, targeted waste management interventions, public awareness campaigns, and enforcement of littering regulations in the beach environment.
(Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Contributed Indexing: Keywords: Anthropogenic litter; Cigarette butt pollution index; Environmental monitoring; Heavy metals; Marine pollution; Tobacco control
Substance Nomenclature: 0 (Metals, Heavy)
0 (Water Pollutants, Chemical)
Entry Date(s): Date Created: 20260519 Date Completed: 20260714 Latest Revision: 20260714
Update Code: 20260714
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2026.119889
PMID: 42155199
Database: MEDLINE
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Das+N%22">Das N</searchLink>; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Maiti+B%22">Maiti B</searchLink>; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22De+K%22">De K</searchLink>; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India. Electronic address: kalyandeaqua@gmail.com.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Vudamala+K%22">Vudamala K</searchLink>; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), Ghaziabad, 201002, India.<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AU" term="%22Sen+A%22">Sen A</searchLink>; CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, 403004, India.
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  Data: Cigarette butts (CBs) are among the most pervasive anthropogenic litter globally, posing significant environmental challenges due to their toxic chemical constituents and cellulose acetate filters. In coastal areas, improperly discarded CBs accumulate and persist, adversely impacting both terrestrial and marine organisms and ecosystems. This study investigates the abundance, pollution status, and concentrations of heavy metals in CBs across eight tourist beaches along the Goa coast in the Eastern Arabian Sea. The mean density of CBs was recorded as 3.15 ± 0.74 CBs/m<superscript>2</superscript> [ranged 0.53 ± 0.15 to 5.77 ± 0.77 CBs/m<superscript>2</superscript> among beaches]. To assess the pollution status, we used the Cigarette Butt Pollution Index (CBPI), which indicates severe pollution at all the studied beaches, likely due to the high influx of beach visitors. Hazardous Item Index (HII) values further revealed that tourist beaches are more prone to high CB accumulation. Additionally, this study demonstrates that CBs from different beaches have varying concentrations of heavy metals. However, metal concentrations appear to be in a safe-to-moderate range, though Cu and Zn are somewhat elevated. The CB pollution emphasizes the need for stringent tobacco control, targeted waste management interventions, public awareness campaigns, and enforcement of littering regulations in the beach environment.<br /> (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
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  Data: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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