adenocarcinoma; cigarette filter; ecotoxicology; smoking prevention; tobacco; acetylcellulose; Plastics; Humans; European Union; Public Health; Tobacco Products; Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Abstract :
[en] After the establishment of a causal relationship between tobacco use and cancer in the 1950s, cellulose acetate filters were introduced with the claim to reduce the adverse health impact of unfiltered cigarettes. Often perceived to be more pleasant and healthy, filters encouraged smoking. However, filtered cigarettes are more deeply inhaled to obtain the same nicotine demand while altered combustion releases more tobacco-specific nitrosamines. The increasing use of cigarette filter ventilation is associated with a sharp rise in lung adenocarcinomas in recent decades. While not preventing adverse health effects, a global environmental problem has been created due to the non-biodegradable filter litter, causing ecotoxicological effects and the spread of microplastics. Recently, the Belgian Superior Health Council advised policymakers to ban cigarette filters as single-use plastics at both national and European levels. This article outlines the arguments used to justify this plea (human health and environment), the expected effects of a filter ban, as well as the public reception and reactions of the tobacco industry. The specific context of the European Union is discussed including the revision of the Single-Use Plastics Directive, affording a new opportunity to ban plastic filters. This perspective article aims to fuel the momentum and cooperation among member states for this purpose.
Disciplines :
Materials science & engineering
Author, co-author :
Everaert, Stijn; Chemical Environmental Factors Group, Superior Health Council, Brussels, Belgium
Schoeters, Greet; Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Lardon, Filip; Center for Oncological Research (CORE), University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Janssens, Annelies; Department of Thoracic Oncology, University Hospital Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Van Larebeke, Nicolas; Department of Radiotherapy and Experimental Cancerology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ; Department of Analytical, Environmental and Geo-Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
Raquez, Jean-Marie ; Université de Mons - UMONS > Faculté des Science > Service des Matériaux Polymères et Composites
Bervoets, Lieven; Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
Spanoghe, Pieter; Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
Language :
English
Title :
Protecting public health and the environment: towards a general ban on cellulose acetate cigarette filters in the European Union.
R400 - Institut de Recherche en Science et Ingénierie des Matériaux
Funding text :
Using these arguments, the SHC proposed a general ban on cigarette filters in April 2023, both on the Belgian and European level (). As filters only encourage more smoking and give rise to microplastics and toxicants in the environment, it was stated that the filter should be treated as single-use plastics. To achieve maximum social awareness and media coverage, this viewpoint was reviewed and publicly supported by the Belgian Royal Academy of Medicine, the Belgian Society for Medical Oncology, the Belgian Respiratory Society, the Flemish Society of Respiratory Health and Tuberculosis Control, the Walloon Respiratory Fund, the Flemish Institute for Healthy Living, and Domus Medica, the Flemish GP association. The position was widely broadcasted in the national media (newspapers and television) () as well as in more specialized medical press (, ).The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. It is a proper initiative of the Belgian Superior Health Council (Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment) in the context of project SHC 9726.
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