Cigarette filter

In 1925, Hungarian inventor Boris Aivaz patented the process of making a cigarette filter from crepe paper. From 1935, Molins Machine Co Ltd a British company began to develop a machine that made cigarettes incorporating the tipped filter. It was considered a specialty item until 1954, when manufacturers introduced the machine more broadly, following a spate of announcements from doctors and researchers concerning a possible link between lung diseases and smoking. Since filtered cigarettes were considered safer, by the 1960s, they dominated the market. Production of filter cigarettes rose from 0.5 percent in 1950 to 87.7 percent by 1975. Between the 1930s and the 1950s, most cigarettes were long. In the 1980s, many were long. Cigarettes filters were originally made of cork and used to prevent tobacco flakes from getting on the smoker's tongue. Many are still patterned to look like cork. == Manufacture ==

Cigarette filters are usually made from plastic cellulose acetate fibre, or activated charcoal (either as a cavity filter or embedded into the cellulose acetate). Glycerol triacetate may be used as a softener. The tip paper may be coated with polyvinyl alcohol. Colour change The tobacco industry determined that the illusion of filtration was more important than filtration itself. The pH of the cellulose acetate used is modified, so that its colour becomes darker when exposed to smoke (this was invented in 1953 by Claude Teague, The industry wanted filters to be seen as effective for marketing reasons, despite not making smoking any less unhealthy. Teague said that: == Health risks ==

of cellulose diacetate with one of the acetate groups on the cellulose backbone shown by the red circle == Waste==

Cigarette butts are the most littered anthropogenic (man-made) waste item in the world. Approximately 5.6 trillion cigarettes are smoked every year worldwide. Of these, it is estimated that 4.5 trillion cigarette butts become litter every year. The plastic cellulose acetate in cigarette butts biodegrades gradually, passing through the stage of microplastics. The breakdown of discarded cigarette butts is highly dependent upon environmental conditions. A 2021 review article cites an experiment where 45–50% of cellulose acetate mass was fully degraded to CO2 after 55 days of controlled composting and another where negligible degradation took place after 12 weeks in pilot-scale compost. During the act of smoking, plastic cellulose acetate fibers and tipping paper absorb a wide range of chemicals that are present in tobacco smoke. After cigarette butts are discarded, they can leach toxins including nicotine, arsenic, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals into the environment. Smoked cigarette butts and cigarette tobacco in butts have been shown to be toxic to water organisms such as the marine topsmelt (Atherinops affinis) and the freshwater fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas). Moreover, cigarette filters enriched in toxic substances that enter environmental waterbodies have been shown to be increasingly colonized by potentially pathogenic bacteria including those displaying antibiotic resistance, as these are particularly well adapted to the adverse conditions on the filters. Many governments and local authorities have imposed stiff penalties for littering of cigarette filters; for example Washington State imposes a penalty of $1,025 for littering cigarette filters. Another option is developing better biodegradable filters. Much of this work relies heavily on the research about the secondary mechanism for photodegradation. However, making a product biodegradable means making it vulnerable to humidity and heat, which does not suit filters made for hot and humid smoke. Another group of researchers has proposed adding tablets of food grade acid inside the filters. Once wet enough the tablets would release acid that accelerates degradation to around two weeks, instead of using cellulose triacetate and besides of cigarette smoke being quite acidic. Some birds collect and add cigarette butts to their nests. It has been shown to reduce the number of parasites and improve the health of the nestlings. == Activated charcoal filtration ==

Cigarette filter can incorporate an activated charcoal filtration system. Instead of acetate or cardboard filters, it consists of two ceramic caps on either sides containing activated charcoal, which reduces tar and other toxins in the smoke. == See also ==