烟头（即“香烟过滤嘴”）是世界上产量最大的塑料垃圾，全世界每年大约会产生4.5万亿个烟头。由于人们的疏忽，大约只有1/3的烟头会进入垃圾桶，其余的进入人们生活的环境中，带来大量影响。
If I asked you what the most common form of plastic pollution is, what would you say? Plastic bottles? Straws? Bags? All good, but incorrect guesses. Cigarette butts (烟头) are actually the most abundant form of plastic waste in the world, with about 4.5 trillion individual butts polluting our global environment.
如果我问你最常见的塑料污染是什么，你会怎么说?塑料瓶吗?吸管吗?袋子吗?所有的猜测都是正确的，但也都是错误的。烟头实际上是世界上最多的塑料垃圾，大约有4.5万亿个烟头污染着我们的全球环境。
But wait, aren’t cigarette butts made of cotton or paper? In fact, cigarette butts consist mainly of plastic and while they may be small so tend to go unnoticed, you will find them practically everywhere. Contrary to what many believe, cigarette butts are not harmless. They are made of cellulose acetate, a man-made plastic material, and contain hundreds of poisonous chemicals. While cigarette filters, or the plastic part of butts, can take up to 10 years to completely degrade (分解), the chemicals they release can remain in the environment for many more years beyond the life of the cigarette butt itself.
等等，烟头不是用棉花或纸做的吗?事实上，烟头主要由塑料组成，虽然它们可能很小，所以不容易被注意到，但你几乎到处都能找到它们。与许多人的看法相反，烟头并非无害。它们是由醋酸纤维素制成的，这是一种人造塑料材料，含有数百种有毒化学物质。虽然香烟过滤嘴或烟头的塑料部分可能需要长达10年的时间才能完全降解，但它们释放的化学物质可能会在烟头本身的寿命之外留在环境中很多年。
These remaininng poisonous substances include arsenic (also used in rat poisoning), lead (a poison that can affect the brain development of children), and nicotine. When these chemicals are improperly thrown on the street corner, out the car window, or down a drain they slowly pollute our natural water and soil systems, presenting a serious threat to people and the environment.
这些残留的有毒物质包括砷、铅和尼古丁。当这些化学物质被不恰当地扔在街角、车窗外或排水沟里时，它们会慢慢污染我们的自然水和土壤系统，对人类和环境构成严重威胁。
Cigarette butts are by far the largest single type of litter by count. Since the 1980s, cigarette butts have consistently accounted for 30-40% of all items picked up in annual international coastal and urban cleanups. This further stresses the need for comprehensive approaches to not only managing waste, but also controlling tobacco use and mitigating its broader environmental impacts. Moreover, the new World Health Organization report states that tobacco farming contributes to nearly 5% of global deforestation, with 200,000 hectares of wood biomass (生物数量) lost per year.
烟头是迄今为止最大的一种垃圾。自20世纪80年代以来，烟头一直占每年国际沿海和城市清理中捡到的所有物品的30-40%。这进一步强调需要采取综合办法，不仅包括管理垃圾，还包括控制烟草使用并减轻其更广泛的环境影响。此外，世界卫生组织的新报告指出，烟草种植占全球森林砍伐的近5%，每年损失20万公顷的木材生物量。
For five years, EARTHDAY.ORG has been driving cleanups worldwide through The Great Global Cleanup. You can join us on this journey by signing up to either join or create your own clean up event. You can encourage others to do their part as well by reminding them of the dangers of smoking and by advocating for more comprehensive waste management systems.
五年来，EARTHDAY.ORG通过“全球大清理”在全球范围内推动清理工作。你可以通过报名参加或一个创建你自己的清理活动来加入我们的旅程。你可以鼓励其他人也尽自己的一份力量，提醒他们吸烟的危害，并倡导建立更全面的垃圾管理系统。
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