Report 9726 - Cigarette filters

The impact of cigarette filters on public health and the Belgian environment

Filters in cigarettes do more harm than good: they fail to prevent the adverse effects of smoking and promote the enjoyment of smoking through a more pleasant mouthfeel. Moreover, the filters are very poorly biodegradable, which means that toxic cigarette butts pollute the environment for many years. It follows that they offer no benefit, be it from a public health perspective or an environmental one.  The Superior Health Council therefore supports a general ban on cigarette filters, both at national and European level.