Tell Philip Morris:

“Remove plastic filters from your cigarettes.”
    Not ? Click here.
    Add a comment

    Cigarettes' Toxic Legacy

     
    Cigarettes' Toxic Legacy

    Worldwide, around 5.5 trillion cigarettes are sold every year, many of which are thrown out in the mistaken belief they thay will decompose. Most people think the are organic and naturally biodegrade, but in fact cigarette butts are made of the same stuff as camera film, and as they wash into waterways, they leach out toxic chemicals. In fact, cigarette butts are the number one piece of trash found in waterways.
     
    Cigarette filters were introduced in the 1950s as information first began to emerge about the negative health effects of smoking. However, no independent study has found that they make smoking any healthier. Instead they instill a false sense of protection, and are an additional source of toxic chemicals that enter into smokers' bodies. There is no reason to continue to dupe consumers and contribute to long-lasting garbage.

    Phillip Morris: phase out plastic filters from your cigarettes!

    Tobacco companies have used deceit for years, from funding their own science to "prove" cigarettes are safe to pushing for flame retardants in furniture to mask deadly fires caused by smoldering cigarettes. Filters are just another bit of their anti-science -- they filter out the largest particles, but cause smokers to inhale deeper, taking the smallest, most dangerous particles deep into their lungs. It's part of the appearance of "healthier" cigarettes that expose smokers to even more danger. Their plastic make-up also means they don't biodegrade as we would expect -- they enter the ecosystem, leach toxins and kill animals that mistake them for food. We need to end their toxic legacy today.

     

    Resources:
    Cigarettelitter.org: Facts
    NYSmokeFree: Filters may be killers  

     

    Read more...