VOA慢速英语2019 空气污染可能会影响人体内的每个器官和细胞（在线收听）

Air Pollution May Affect Every Organ, Cell in the Body

From VOA Learning English, this is the Health & Lifestyle report.

这里是VOA慢速英语健康生活报道。

Taking a long, deep breath is good for both our bodies and minds. It supplies necessary oxygen to our blood and can help to create emotional calm.

深吸一口气对我们的身体和大脑有益。这会为我们的血液提供所需的氧气，还能帮助稳定情绪。

However, calm and oxygen are not the only things a deep breath brings. In many parts of the world, a deep breath also brings pollutants into our bodies.

然而，深呼吸不仅仅会带来冷静和氧气。在世界许多地区，深呼吸还会将污染物带进身体。

For many people around the world, breathing polluted air has become the new “normal.” On its website, The World Health Organization warns that “91% percent of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds WHO guideline limits.”

对全球许多人来说，呼吸污染空气已经成为“新常态”。世界卫生组织在官网上警告称，全球91%的人口生活在空气质量水平超过世卫组织限值的地区。

WHO experts estimate that each year air pollution kills about 7 million people around the world. It says about 4.2 million deaths are linked to outdoor air pollution and about 3.8 million are linked to inside air pollution. The WHO adds that air pollution harms billions more.

世卫专家估计，空气污染每年导致全球约700万人死亡。世卫组织表示，约420万人的死亡与室外空气污染有关，约380万人的死亡与室内空气污染有关。世卫组织补充说，空气污染还对另外数十亿人造成了损害。

Perhaps not surprisingly, cities are especially bad. Over 80% of people who live in urban areas, the WHO reports, are breathing levels of air pollution that are unhealthy.

城市遭受的损害尤为严重，这也许并不令人惊讶。世卫组织的报告指出，超过80%城市人口正在呼吸的空气污染水平是不健康的。

With air pollution, size matters most

就空气污染来说，直径最重要

Researchers often study individual chemicals and toxins found in air pollution. However, some studies now show that it is the size of pollutants in the air that is most threatening to health.

研究人员经常研究在空气污染中发现的单一化学成分和毒物。然而，现在有一些研究表明，空气中污染物的大小对健康的威胁最大。

Fine particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller seems to do the most damage. That size is about 3% the size of a human hair or smaller. Scientists often call this kind of air pollution PM2.5, for short. The smallest PM can move through tissue.

直径小于或等于2.5微米的细颗粒物似乎会造成最严重的损害。这一直径相当于人类头发丝的3%或更少。科学家经常将这种空气物简称为PM2.5。直径最小的颗粒物可穿过人体组织。

Because we breathe in air pollution, we may think that it only affects the human breathing system. But research shows that the mouth, nose, throat and lungs are not the only body parts affected by air pollution.

由于我们吸入了污染空气，我们可能会认为受影响的只有人类呼吸系统。但研究表明，空气污染不仅会影响口鼻和肺部等身体部位。

Many in the scientific community say that PM2.5 can affect every organ and every cell in our body. Researchers have found that PM2.5 can even pass through the barrier that protects our brains. It can also reach the placenta. So, even in the womb, a fetus is not safe from air pollution.

许多科学界人士认为，PM2.5可以影响人体内的所有器官和细胞。研究人员发现，PM2.5甚至可以通过保护我们大脑的屏障。PM2.5还可以到达胎盘。因此，就连在子宫里的胎儿都不能避开空气污染。

The heart and blood system is also affected.

心血管系统也会受到影响。

The WHO reports that air pollution causes 24% of deaths from brain attacks called strokes. The UN agency adds that 25% of all heart disease is from air pollution.

世卫组织的报告指出，空气污染导致了24%的中风死亡，中风是脑部疾病。隶属于联合国的世卫组织补充说，空气污染还导致了25%的心脏病死亡。

Scientists with the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, or FIRS, study the damage air pollution does to our bodies. They warn that air pollution affects many systems in the body and is a great risk to health.

来自国际呼吸病学会论坛（简称FIRS）的科学家研究了空气污染对人体造成的损害。他们警告称，空气污染会影响人体内的许多系统，同时对健康构成重大威胁。

Earlier this year, the FIRS Environmental Committee published two reports in the February 2019 American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST). They detail the effects of air pollution on health and evidence for its link to many diseases.

今年早些时候，国际呼吸病学会论坛环境委员会在2月份举行的2019年美国胸科医师学会年会上发表了两份报告。他们详细说明了空气污染对健康造成的影响，并提供了空气污染与许多疾病有关的证据。

Dr. Dean Schraufnagel was the lead investigator. Following the publication of the reports he said, “It is well-known that air pollution is a major contributor to lung disease, but this review also shows how it can damage most other organ systems of the body.”

迪恩·舒劳纳格尔博士是首席研究员。他在报告发表之后表示，“众所周知，空气污染是导致肺部疾病的主因，这份报告还说明了空气污染如何损害人体其它大多数器官系统。”

The FIRS researchers also found air pollution to be “harmful to the aging brain.”

国际呼吸病学会论坛的研究员还发现，空气污染会对老化大脑造成损害。

They reported that older adults with heavy exposure to air pollution performed poorly on tests of brain operations. They said this group showed an increased risk of dementia compared to adults with less exposure.

他们指出，大量接触空气污染的老年人在脑部活动测试中表现不佳。他们表示，与接触空气污染较少的成年人相比，上述老年人群患老年痴呆的风险更大。

The reports add that air pollution weakens bones so they break more easily. Air pollution also ages our skin, hurts our eyes and interferes with sleep. It affects the kidneys. And the researchers said living near busy roadways might lead to liver disease.

报告还指出，空气污染会使骨骼变得脆弱而更易骨折。空气污染还会令皮肤衰老、损害眼睛并影响睡眠。空气污染也会对肝脏造成影响。研究人员表示，生活在繁忙路段附近可能引发肝病。

Children are most at risk

Researchers at the WHO say that in 2016 about 600,000 children under the age of five died from disease linked to air pollution.

Indoor cooking plays a part, as some families use unsafe fuels for cooking and keeping warm. Experts at the WHO say that there are “3.8 million deaths every year as a result of household exposure to smoke from dirty cook-stoves and fuels.”

So, what can be done?

Experts say governments need to take the lead in fighting air pollution health risks.

Dr. Schraufnagel adds that “the best way to reduce exposure to air pollution is to control it at its source.” He explains that governments need to do this by setting pollution “standards and regulatory processes.”

He and other experts suggest that individuals reduce their exposure by avoiding areas with polluted air and staying indoors when outdoor air pollution levels are high. And they say to wear face masks. These cloth or paper covers for the nose and mouth can block many air pollutants from entering the body.

Words in This Story

toxin – n. a poisonous substance

particulate matter – n. the term for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets found in the air.

womb – n. the organ in women and some female animals in which babies develop before birth

contributor – n. something or someone involved in causing something to happen

exposure – n. the fact or condition of being affected by something or experiencing something : the condition of being exposed to something

dementia – n. a mental illness that causes someone to be unable to think clearly or to understand what is real and what is not real

standard – n. a level of quality, achievement, etc., that is considered acceptable or desirable

regulatory – adj. making or concerned with making official rules about what is acceptable in a particular business, activity, etc.