TY - JOUR T1 - Tobacco and cigarette butt consumption in humans and animals JF - Tobacco Control JO - Tob Control SP - i17 LP - i20 DO - 10.1136/tc.2011.043489 VL - 20 IS - Suppl 1 AU - Thomas E Novotny AU - Sarah N Hardin AU - Lynn R Hovda AU - Dale J Novotny AU - Mary Kay McLean AU - Safdar Khan Y1 - 2011/05/01 UR - http://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/20/Suppl_1/i17.abstract N2 - Discarded cigarette butts may present health risks to human infants and animals because of indiscriminate eating behaviours. Nicotine found in cigarette butts may cause vomiting and neurological toxicity; leachates of cigarette butts in aquatic environments may cause exposure to additional toxic chemicals including heavy metals, ethyl phenol and pesticide residues. This report reviews published and grey literature regarding cigarette butt waste consumption by children, pets and wildlife. Although reports of human and animal exposures number in the tens of thousands, severe toxic outcomes due to butt consumption are rare. Nonetheless, the ubiquity of cigarette butt waste and its potential for adverse effects on human and animal health warrants additional research and policy interventions to reduce the stream of these pollutants in the environment. ER -