Earth Day 2008 promoting environmental citizenship - Tobacco A Major Culprit..

April 22, 2008 - Litter: 378,000 volunteers in 76 countries joined the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup. They cleared more than seven million items of trash from coastlines around the world. The top 10 items found on the world's anything-but-pristine beaches and coasts, and their percentage of the total trash haul, are listed below: Cigarettes/cigarette filters - 27.2%; Food wrappers/containers - 9.6%; Caps/lids - 9.1; Bags - 8.1%; Beverage bottles - 6.8%; Cups, plates, cutlery - 5.2%; Glass beverage bottles - 4.8%; cigar tips - 4.5%; Straws, stirrers - 4.5%; Beverage cans - 4.3%. The vast majority of the items collected fit within the Top 10 list, accounting for 84.1 per cent of the total. Tobacco companies are test marketing a smokeless, spitless Swedish type product called SNUS in the U.S. with very little success. It comes in pouches - like tea-bags that you place in one specific place in your mouth and suck on it for around 30 minutes. We're sure you can imagine the massive problem that results from SNUS litter.

Air Pollution: Smoking cigarettes, cigars, pipes increases air pollution. According to the U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, a non-smoker who is regularly exposed to secondhand smoke is 30% more likely to develop heart disease or lung cancer than a non-smoker who is not exposed. Some related news briefs: Council unanimously approves Quakertown, PA parks smoking ban.. and L.A. bans smoking in parks.. Click on image to enlarge.. (TobaccoWatch.org)