By Omotayo Edubi
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Dr Neville Afoke, a medical practitioner, has explained the harmful effects of tobacco to environment.
Afoke, who has 10 years experience in medicine and currently a student of University of Harvard, said tobacco contributes to deforestation.
He said while speaking to NatureNews in an interview over the weekend, ”Among other things, growing tobacco contributes to deforestation because it’s estimated that the tobacco industry cuts down over 600 million trees a year.”
Dr Afoke also said, “Another concern is actually a huge source of pollution.”
He commented also about the filters saying, “The problem is not only the toxic chemicals that leach from the tobacco itself but the filters on the cigarettes as well”.
“They’re made of cellulose acetate, and look like cotton fibers, so people think they just go away, but they don’t, and they’re with us for decades.
“Pollution doesn’t have to be littered directly into the water to impact it.
“When it rains, anything that’s upland, in parking lots, on roadways, will run off to the low point, which is our waterways. “
Dr Afoke called for ways to handle the situation.
“First is awareness, let’s educate ourselves. The second is let’s assess if we have enough ash receptacles for the butts, and three, let us clean up our environment.
“We need to collaborate with a ton of different environmental groups, we’re also getting schools involved in clean-ups and getting businesses involved in clean-ups and volunteer efforts,” he said.
