Experts issue warning after study's grim discovery on cigarette filters: 'In the interests of public health'

While they are marketed as the safer option, cigarette filters have been found to be more trouble than they are worth.  

What's happening?

As reported by The Guardian, experts are now sounding the alarm over the impact that cigarette filters have on our planet. 

The health risks associated with smoking have been studied for decades. However, a team of researchers has taken a closer look at the effectiveness of cigarette filters and their contribution to the rise in microplastics pollution. 

Although the majority of smokers assume that filters work by filtering out many of the harmful chemicals that are found in most common cigarettes, researchers argue that they originated simply as a marketing ploy. In fact, cigarette filters may actually do more harm than good.     

Why are the impacts of cigarette filters important?

In an editorial piece found in the journal Addiction, a team of researchers presented their argument for the inclusion of a cigarette filter ban in the United Kingdom's proposed Tobacco and Vapes Bill. According to the researchers, a ban would be "in the interests of public health and the environment."

Dr. Katherine East, associate professor of public health at Brighton and Sussex Medical School and lead author of the editorial, spoke to The Guardian regarding the team's reasoning behind the opposition to cigarette filters.

"Cigarette filters were designed to give the false impression of safety," said East. "In reality, they do not reduce toxicant exposure and may even increase harm, because they lead people to inhale deeper and for longer and can embed harmful fibres and microplastics in the lungs. They are also a major contributor to the global plastic waste crisis." 

Many cigarette filters contain cellulose acetate, a plant-based plastic that forms dense fibers to trap particles. However, this material is not biodegradable, meaning that the plastic fibers can persist in the environment for centuries until they are worn down into microplastics. 

What's being done about cigarette filters?

As noted by the team of researchers, just 25% of the population in Great Britain is aware of the ineffectiveness of cigarette filters. The team believes that by enacting a sweeping ban on filters, government officials may be able to prevent future generations from dealing with the direct consequences of the harmful material. 

"Filters are a marketing con to keep people smoking, protecting tobacco industry profits. This incredibly successful deception means the majority of people are unaware filters have no health benefits," Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health and co-author of the editorial, told The Guardian.

"The government has an opportunity to stop enabling this deception and ban filters outright," added Cheeseman.

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