VOA慢速英语2010年-Health Report - Study Ties Some Pestic

This is the VOA Special English Health Report.

A.D.H.D. is attention deficit¹ hyperactivity disorder². Government estimates say three to seven percent of school-age children in the United States have it. Adults can also have it. People with A.D.H.D. have problems with paying attention, controlling their behavior and being overly active.

Now, a study has linked an increased risk of A.D.H.D. in children to exposure to some kinds of pesticides⁴. The chemicals are known as organophosphate pesticides. They kill insects by attacking their nervous systems. Earlier studies have shown that some of the compounds cause hyperactivity and thinking deficits⁵ in laboratory animals.

Researchers at the University of Montreal in Canada and Harvard University in Massachusetts did the study. It involved more than one thousand one hundred children between the ages of eight and fifteen. One hundred nineteen of them were identified as having A.D.H.D.

The researchers tested all the children for products that break down from organophosphates. Maryse Bouchard of the University of Montreal and Harvard lead the research team. She says, "The higher the level of pesticide³ residue⁶ in the urine, the higher the risk of A.D.H.D. in the children."

A crop duster sprays pesticide on a corn field

The scientists reported that the risk of the disorder was almost double in children with high levels compared to those with no measurable level. They say exposure at levels common among children in the United States may increase the chances that a child will be diagnosed with A.D.H.D.

Maryse Bouchard says the study found that exposure could play a part in behaviors such as inattention and hyperactivity. But she also says the study does not prove that the chemicals cause the disorder.

MARYSE BOUCHARD: "We can’t affirm that exposure to pesticides is causing A.D.H.D. We would need a different type of study to say that."

The researchers say forty organophosphate pesticides are registered with the United States government. The chemicals are used to protect fruits and vegetables. They are also used to poison insects in other places such as homes.

Lynn Goldman is an environmental health scientist at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health in Maryland. She notes that the use of pesticides, including organophosphates, is widespread in developing countries. Children come in contact with high levels of pesticides through farming.

LYNN GOLDMAN: "And those kids have much more serious, much more severe neurological problems. So we do see evidence of effects in those populations globally."

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.

And that's the VOA Special English Health Report, written by Caty Weaver⁷ with Jessica Berman. I’m Steve Ember.

 

1 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

4 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 deficits   

n.不足额( deficit的名词复数 )；赤字；亏空；亏损

参考例句：

• The Ministry of Finance consistently overestimated its budget deficits. 财政部一贯高估预算赤字。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。 来自辞典例句

6 residue   

n.残余，剩余，残渣

参考例句：

• Mary scraped the residue of food from the plates before putting them under water.玛丽在把盘子放入水之前先刮去上面的食物残渣。
• Pesticide persistence beyond the critical period for control leads to residue problems.农药一旦超过控制的临界期，就会导致残留问题。

7 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。