Post-consumption waterpipe tobacco waste as an unrecognized source of toxic metal(loid)s leachates into aquatic environments

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in fruit-flavored/regular waterpipe tobacco and their post-consumption waste: estimating release into inhaled smoke

There is limited information regarding organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) residues in tobacco products found in the Iranian market, especially in various types of waterpipe tobacco. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the concentration of OCPs in various waterpipe tobacco-both fruit-flavored and regular-and compare it with cigarette tobacco. Additionally, by analyzing the OCPs levels in fresh tobacco compared to tobacco wastes, an estimate has been made for the quantity of pesticides released into smoke during consumption. Our results indicated that the average detection frequency (DF) of pesticide residues was 46% for fruit-flavored tobacco, 82% for regular tobacco, and 42% for cigarette tobacco. Hexachlorocyclohexane (HCHs) isomers were the predominant pesticides in all three types of tobacco with the mean of 43.11 ± 31.81, 89.63 ± 56.08, and 41.65 ± 35.37 ng/g for fruit-flavored tobacco, regular tobacco, and cigarette tobaccos, respectively. Both the levels and DF of pesticides in post-consumption wastes were significantly reduced compared to that in fresh tobacco (p < 0.05). For all tobacco types-fruit-flavored, regular, and cigarette-notable OCPs residues were released into the gas phase, with cigarette tobacco having the highest rate at approximately ~ 37% because of greater combustion temperatures. The research points out some limitations, particularly the disregard for bowl water and charcoal as elements of waterpipe waste, which could lead to an overestimation of pesticide levels in inhaled smoke. Further studies are needed on the environmental impact of tobacco wastes and promoting for better waste management practices as well as public awareness.

Bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from leachates of waterpipe tobacco wastes on Peronia peronii species from the Persian Gulf region

This study examines the bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Peronia peronii (as the bio-indicator organism) exposed to the leachate resulting from fruit-flavored and traditional burnt tobacco wastes. The ƩPAHs concentrations in the muscle samples of P. Peronii of exposed group I (organisms exposed to the leachate resulting from fruit-flavored waterpipe tobacco wastes) and exposed group II (organisms exposed to the leachate resulting from traditional waterpipe tobacco wastes) and control group (exposed to natural seawater) were 37.49 ± 12.9, 9.32 ± 3.8, and 3.89 ± 1.9 ng/g, respectively. Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the mean values of all ƩPAHs compounds in the three groups (group I, group II, and control). The mean Log BAFs in P. Peronii exposed to fruit-flavored and traditional tobacco waste leachates were ranged from 1.70 to 3.61 and 2.49 to 3.07, respectively. The mean Log BAFs of none of the PAHs compounds did not exceed 3.7 (the limit set as "bio-accumulative") in none of the leachates (fruit-flavored or traditional). In the organisms exposed to the leachates resulting from fruit-flavored tobacco waste, Log BAFs of Benzo[b] fluoranthene (BbF), benzo(a)anthracene (BaA), and chrysene (Chr) lay within the range of 3.3-3.7 ("potentially bio-accumulative"). However, in the organisms exposed to the leachates resulting from traditional tobacco waste, the mean Log BAFs of all compounds did not reach even 3.3. The findings of our study indicate that leachates from tobacco waste, pose significant environmental and health hazards. Considering the prevalence of tobacco smoking, suitable strategies should be employed for management of these hazardous wastes to protect the environmental health.

Release of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) from cigarette butts into the aquatic environment: Levels and ecotoxicity

Discarded cigarette waste may leach toxic elements and can contaminate different environments. In this study, the levels of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in cigarette butts (CBs) leachates were determined, and the release rate of these pollutants from three CBs types such as smoked CBs with and without tobacco (SCBs and SFs) and unsmoked filters (USFs) were examined. The mean concentration levels of PCBs compounds were Collapse

Key Words

• Cigarette butts
• Leachates
• Organochlorine pesticides
• Polychlorinated biphenyls
• Water bodies

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Affiliation(s)

Hossein Arfaeinia Department of Environmental Health Engineering, Faculty of Health, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran
Mohammad Reza Masjedi Tobacco Control Research Center (TCRC), Iranian Anti-Tobacco Association, Tehran, Iran
Rasoul Asgariyan Department of Environmental, Esfahan Steel Company, Esfahan, 8477153111, Iran
Farshid Soleimani Tobacco and Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Vali Alipour Tobacco and Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Sara Dadipoor Tobacco and Health Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
Reza Saeedi Department of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE), School of Public Health and Safety, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Anis Jahantigh Health Promotion Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Ammar Maryamabadi R &D Department, Shakheh Zeytoon Lian Co., Bushehr, Iran

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Peronia peronii as a bio-indicator to assess the toxicity of waterpipe tobacco leachates in aquatic and sediment media

This study was aimed to survey toxicity of waterpipe wastes leachates on Peronia peronii in aquatic and sediment environments as two exposure media. For this, leachates of four tobacco types including burnt traditional tobacco (BTT), fresh traditional tobacco (FTT), burnt fruit-flavored tobacco (BFT) and fresh fruit-flavored tobacco (FFT)) were prepared and used to assess their toxic effects on P. peronei in two aquatic and sediment media. The in-vivo toxic effects of five different concentrations of waterpipe tobacco waste leachates on P. peronii were evaluated. The LC50 values of BTTs leachates to P. peronii were 17.50, 16.05, 11.31 and 9.38 g/L at exposure times of 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, respectively in aquatic media. These values for BFTs leachates were 14.86, 12.38, 9.53 and 7.46 g/L at exposure times of 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, respectively. In the case of sediment media, the LC50 values of BTTs leachates were 15.33, 13.70, 9.09 and 6.70 g/L at exposure times of 24, 48, 72 and 96 h, respectively while these values for BFTs leachates were 12.00, 10.32, 8.20 and 5.65 g/L. Fruit-flavored tobacco leachates had significantly higher toxicity than traditional tobacco leachates for P. peronii. The findings also showed significant differences between the LC50 values of different leachates in different media of water and sediment. The results demonstrated that even small amount of tobacco waste (~ 5 to 6 g/L) can lead to P. peronii mortality and may also pose a hazard to other aquatic and benthic organisms. The results obtained from the present study can be used as a baseline data to assess local effects causing from unsafe disposal of post-consumption tobacco waste in beach areas. In addition, these findings can lead to encouraging decision-makers to focus more on the types of tobacco waste in the municipal solid waste management system and to implement a source separation process for these wastes.

Mono and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in waterpipe wastewater: Level and ecotoxicological risk assessment

Increasing of tobacco consumption around the world has led to the production of a large volume of waterpipe wastewater that enter the environment (e.g., coastal areas)and threaten aquatic creatures. However, until now, no research has been carried out on the amounts of monocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in hookah wastewater. In the current study, the levels of PAHs and BTEX compounds in waterpipe wastewater resulting from the use of different tobacco brands were determined and their eco-toxicological effects were also evaluated. The mean levels of ƩPAHs in waterpipe wastewater of Al Tawareg, Al-Fakher, Nakhla, Tangiers and traditional tobacco brands samples were 3.48 ± 1.65, 3.33 ± 1.52, 3.08 ± 1.25, 2.41 ± 0.87 and 0.70 ± 0.13 μg/L, respectively. The mean levels of ƩBTEX in waterpipe wastewater of Al Tawareg, Al-Fakher, Nakhla, Tangiers and traditional tobacco brands samples were also 2.53 ± 0.61, 2.65 ± 0.78, 2.51 ± 0.72, 2.35 ± 0.56, and 0.78 ± 0.12 μg/L, respectively. The maximum level of PAHs and BTEX compounds in all brands/flavors samples were for naphthalene (Naph) and toluene, respectively. The concentrations of some PAHs (fluoranthene (Flrt), anthracene (Ant), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BkF), benzo (g,h,i)perylene (BghiP) and dibenzo (a, h) anthracene (DahA)) and BTEX compounds (benzene) in the waterpipe wastewater samples were more than recommended guidelines and standards by the international reputable organizations such as World Health Organization (WHO) for water quality. Waterpipe wastewater can be introduced as an important origin for the release of these dangerous contaminants into the environmental matrixes. Therefore, more stringent regulations should be considered for the safe disposal of such hazardous wastes including waterpipe wastewater.

First report on BTEX leaching from waterpipe tobacco wastes (WTWs) into aquatic environment

Waterpipe tobacco wastes (WTWs) may contain considerable levels of hazardous contaminants such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, and m/p-xylene). However, no research has been carried out on BTEX levels in WTWs and the release of these pollutants into the water environment. This research examined the levels of BTEX in WTWs of flavored/local tobacco and also the release rate of these toxins into three kinds of water, including seawater (SW), tap water (TW), and distilled water (DW) with different leaching times (15, 30 min, 1.2, 4, 8 h, and 1, 2, and 4 days). The mean contents of BTEX in WTW samples of Al-Mahmoud, Al-Fakher, Mazaya, Al-Ayan brands, and local tobacco samples were 17.0 ± 4.14, 19.1 ± 4.65, 19.6 ± 4.19, 18.8 ± 4.14, and 3.16 ± 0.63 μg/kg, respectively. The mean BTEX levels in flavored tobacco samples were considerably greater than that of local tobacco (p < 0.05). The WTWs leaching experiments showed that the levels of BTEX ranged from 5.26 to 6.12, 5.02-5.60, and 3.83-5.46 μg/L in DW, TW, and SW, respectively. All target compounds were found for all exposure times in DW, TW, and SW samples. After adding sodium azide as an antibacterial agent to water samples (simulating biodegradation processes), higher levels of BTEX compounds were detected in SW. Further research is needed to address the potential environmental hazards due to WTWs leaching into aquatic environments.