Cigarette filters worsen health risks and cause major pollution, Study finds

Saturday 18 October 2025 - 15:20

By: Sahili Aya

Cigarette filters worsen health risks and cause major pollution, Study finds

Cigarette filters, long promoted as a tool to reduce harm, actually increase health risks and contribute significantly to global pollution, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Addiction.

Researchers say that filters encourage smokers to inhale more deeply and for longer periods, exposing them to greater amounts of toxic substances. The study dismantles what it calls a “longstanding myth” created by the tobacco industry, which marketed filters as making cigarettes “smoother and less irritating,” thus making them more appealing—especially to young people.

The authors recommend that governments ban cigarette filters altogether, whether in rolled or manufactured cigarettes. “Filters have never protected smokers,” the report states, “and their environmental footprint is enormous.”

According to the study, billions of cigarette butts end up in the environment each year, ranking among the world’s most common and persistent forms of waste.

The findings echo a 2022 World Health Organization (WHO) statement urging countries to consider banning filters to safeguard both public health and the environment. Despite this, no country has yet implemented such a ban.

Researchers also call for better public education. In the United Kingdom, for instance, only one in four adults knows that filters offer no health protection.