Inspirational project: How does the pollution caused by cigarettes thrown into the soil affect plants?

2024/04/30 STEAM-Hezkuntza (Elhuyar Zientzia)

• Komikiak
• STEAM-hezkuntza

Debates of the European Parliament

Environmental impact of tobacco use and anti-smoking behaviour

Context

We are all aware of the negative effects of smoking on health, but little is said about the effects of smoking on the environment.

Intensive tobacco production has significant effects on the environment, due to the production of tobacco plants (which requires large quantities of water and pesticides), the waste generated by cigarette production and tobacco consumption in the tobacco industries. But one of the main polluting residues of tobacco use are the butts. They are the most common waste in beaches and urban environments, which take many years to decompose and release toxic and polluting substances. A cauldron can contaminate up to 50 liters of water, as the filter accumulates the nicotine from the cigarette and most of the tar.

Therefore, it is important that in addition to healthy consumption behaviors, anti-fog behaviors such as the non-pull of brows on the ground are avoided in order to reduce their effects on the environment.

Research question

How does the pollution caused by the collisions that smokers throw into the ground affect plants?

Research objectives

• Analysis of the environmental impact of tobacco production and consumption.
• Awareness of the impact that collision knob can have.
• Awareness of the environmental consequences of consumer behaviour and anti-grass roots behaviour.

Experimentation proposal

• Collect and analyse information on the environmental impact of the tobacco industry.
• Prepare the contaminated water that will be used to water the plants: take the 20 cigarettes we find on the ground (attention, wear gloves) and put a liter of water. After 24 hours of being the grills in the water, using a filter, we remove the grills and collect the “contaminated water” in another bottle (attention, we label the bottle well to indicate it is contaminated). In another bottle collect clean water.
• Put the seeds to germinate: put the cotton in a bowl (e.g. a yogurt pot) and the seeds on top of the cotton (6 seeds in each bowl). You can put as many packs as you want to get more data.
• Once the seeds are placed on the packaging, irrigate the cotton from the packaging. The seeds of one vessel shall be watered with clean water and those of the other with contaminated water. Each pack will be correctly labelled to identify each treatment. It is important that the vessel has a hole to remove the excess water from the vessel.
• Place the containers in a temperate place and analyze the germination of the seeds daily. How long does it take to germinate? How many seeds are on call? What do plants look like and size? …
• To analyze data from both treatments to analyze the consequences of irrigation with water contaminated with butts.
• To continue the experiment, replant the plants in a container with soil and continue to water with two types of water. Thus, in addition to the influence it may have on the eruption, the influence of contaminated water on the development of plants can be analyzed.
• Analyse the information collected and the results of the experiments and draw conclusions.
• Communication: the results can be disseminated in different ways, such as hanging the report and/or video of the project on the web and social networks of the center, making panels for an exhibition and placing them in the center/village, organizing lectures (for students, parents…), presenting the project in a scientific fair…

Keys to reflection

• Environmental effects of human consumption behaviors.
• Behaviour that is inclined and not environmentally friendly.
• Collisions and fires.
• Price and taxes of tobacco.

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This project, promoted by Elhuyar, has the collaboration of the Department of Economic Promotion and Strategic Projects of the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa.