美国国家公共电台 NPR Where Are The Most Viruses In An Airport? Hint: It's Probably Not The Toilet

 

MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

Switching gears here. OK, so the summer travel season is behind us, but Thanksgiving is going to be here soon enough. So air travelers, listen up. There is new information that could save you from catching¹ a cold on your trip. As NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff reports, the key may be washing your hands before you even get to the gate.

MICHAELEEN DOUCLEFF, BYLINE²: The new advice is based on a very simple experiment at the international airport in Helsinki. Researchers took little q tips and run them over various surfaces in the airport - so things like the handrails, the buttons on the elevator, even the toilet flusher. Then they took the samples back to the airport and looked for signs of respiratory viruses like the flu and the common cold. One surface at the airport popped up as a hotspot for these viruses - the plastic bins⁴ at the security line.

MARK GENDREAU: These trays are not, you know, cleaned after every use. And you've got thousands of people going through these lines on any given day.

DOUCLEFF: That's Dr. Mark Gendreau from Beverly and Addison Gilbert Hospital in Massachusetts. Gendreau specializes in aviation medicine and wasn't involved in the study. He says it was published recently in BMC Infectious Diseases. And he points out that it was very, very small. The researchers took only 90 samples across the entire airport, and they were only looking for respiratory viruses, not for stomach bugs⁵. But Gendreau says the conclusion of the study matches up with previous ones here in the U.S. In particular, one study at Boston Logan International Airport tried to pinpoint⁶ disease hotspots in the airport. Guess what was at the top of the list? The security line.

GENDREAU: You have people from all over the world congregating⁷ in that area. That geographic⁸ diversity of people is incredible.

DOUCLEFF: So it's crowded. There can be poor ventilation. And you've got the potential for diseases from all over the world meeting in that one spot. So what should people do after they come out of security?

GENDREAU: No. 1, you've got to sanitize those hands.

DOUCLEFF: Use gel hand sanitizer with at least 60 percent alcohol. Or go the old-fashioned route and wash with soap and water. Either way...

GENDREAU: The rubbing of your hands has to be at least 25 seconds. You've got to have some friction⁹ in there to disrupt the cellular¹⁰ membrane¹¹ of the micro organism in order to activate¹² it.

DOUCLEFF: Finally, he says, be mindful of not touching¹³ your face before you disinfect your hands.

GENDREAU: Eighty percent of all infectious diseases are transmitted by human hands.

DOUCLEFF: Your hands touch something like a security bin³, then you touch your nose or mouth. And the next thing you know, you're fighting off a nasty cold. Michaeleen Doucleff, NPR News.

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

4 bins   

n.大储藏箱( bin的名词复数 )；宽口箱（如面包箱，垃圾箱等）v.扔掉，丢弃( bin的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Garbage from all sources was deposited in bins on trolleys. 来自各方的垃圾是装在手推车上的垃圾箱里的。 来自辞典例句
• Would you be pleased at the prospect of its being on sale in dump bins? 对于它将被陈列在倾销箱中抛售这件事，你能欣然接受吗？ 来自辞典例句

5 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 pinpoint   

vt.准确地确定；用针标出…的精确位置

参考例句：

• It is difficult to pinpoint when water problems of the modern age began.很难准确地指出，现代用水的问题是什么时候出现的。
• I could pinpoint his precise location on a map.我能在地图上指明他的准确位置。

7 congregating   

（使）集合，聚集( congregate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The spatial distribution patterns of larvae and pupae are congregating distribution. 幼虫和蛹的空间分布均为聚集分布。
• He says victims of violence are congregating there because they feel safer. 他说暴力的受害者聚集在这里因为他们觉得更安全。

8 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

9 friction   

n.摩擦，摩擦力

参考例句：

• When Joan returned to work,the friction between them increased.琼回来工作后，他们之间的摩擦加剧了。
• Friction acts on moving bodies and brings them to a stop.摩擦力作用于运动着的物体，并使其停止。

10 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

11 membrane   

n.薄膜，膜皮，羊皮纸

参考例句：

• A vibrating membrane in the ear helps to convey sounds to the brain.耳膜的振动帮助声音传送到大脑。
• A plastic membrane serves as selective diffusion barrier.一层塑料薄膜起着选择性渗透屏障的作用。

12 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

13 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。