Evaluating cigarette butt pollution: Insights from Cox's Bazar Sea beach of Bangladesh.

Masum Howlader Abu Selim Shah Newaz Alam Shuvo Md Monirul Islam Tania Sultana Mohammad Moniruzzaman Md Sabit Mia Sanjida Afrin Nurunnahar Akter Md Habibur Rahman

Mar Pollut Bull

Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.

Published: October 2023

Cigarette butts (CBs) are small but have significant negative impacts on the environment, and this research focuses on their prevalence at Cox's Bazar Sea beach in February 2023.
A total of 13,988 CBs were collected, revealing a mean density of 0.388 m, with a high pollution status according to the CB Pollution Index (CBPI), where 25% of the area was categorized as having severe pollution.
The study identified 13 different cigarette brands, with Derby, B&H, and Star being the most commonly found, highlighting the need for greater awareness about the environmental consequences of improperly discarded cigarette butts.

Cigarette butts (CBs) have serious harmful effects on the environment and living organisms despite their small size. This research aims to investigate the abundance, densities and pollution status of CBs in Cox's Bazar Sea beach. The survey was conducted between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. in February 2023, during the peak season of the year. A total of 13,988 CBs were collected, and the mean density was 0.388 m and ranges from 0.195 m - to 0.689 m. The mean CBPI value was 7.78, which showed the "high pollution" status. According to CBPI analysis, 25 %, 41.67 %, 16.67 %, and 16.67 % were "severe pollution", "considerable pollution", "high pollution", and "pollution" status, respectively. From HII values, 91.67 % beach fell within the "Class III" category, indicating abundant toxic CBs in the study area. A total of 13 brands were identified, of which Derby (19.31 %), B&H (18.54 %), and Star (11.26 %) were more abundant brands. These findings from this study aim to increase awareness of the harmful effects of cigarette butts discarded intentionally or unintentionally by smokers.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115705	DOI Listing

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