VOA慢速英语2010年-Development Report - Staying Safe: Foo

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

Food that has come in contact with floodwaters can sicken anyone who eats it. Water from floods may contain animal and human waste. It can also contain other pollutants¹ like chemicals from agriculture and industry.

After a flood, food safety specialists at the United States Department of Agriculture have this advice:

Throw away anything that is not stored in a waterproof² container if there was a chance of contact. Food containers that are not waterproof include those with screw caps, snap lids, pull tops and crimped caps.

Also, throw away boxes of juice, milk or baby formula if they have come into contact with floodwater.

The Department of Health in the state of Minnesota says you should throw away anything in soft packaging. And the Extension Service at North Dakota State University offers other advice:

Do not save plastic bags of food even if boxes or containers inside the bags appear dry.

Rescue workers evacuate³ residents from flooded areas in Jianong in Sichuan province, southwest China, on Sunday

Do not eat fresh produce from the garden if it has come in contact with floodwater. To be safe, have the soil tested.

And throw away screw-topped or crimp-topped jars and bottles even if they have never been opened.

Glass jars and bottles of home-canned foods should be thrown out as well. Experts say the containers cannot be effectively cleaned after a flood.

Throw away damaged metal cans or hard plastic containers. Do not use cans that are swollen⁴ or leaking, or that are rusted⁵ or crushed.

But food safety experts say that some unopened, undamaged all-metal cans can be saved. First, remove any labels. The paper may contain dirt and germs from the floodwater. Wash the cans with soap and water, and brush or wipe away dirt. Use hot water and water that is safe for drinking if they are available.

Next, place the cans again in water and heat the water to one hundred degrees Celsius⁶. Boil the cans for two minutes.

Another way to disinfect the cans is in a freshly made solution of chlorine bleach⁷. Use eight drops of unscented liquid bleach for every four liters of water. Use drinking water or the cleanest, clearest water available. Place the cans in the solution for fifteen minutes.

Let sanitized cans air-dry for at least one hour before opening or storing them. And relabel the cans with a marking pen to list their contents and any dates when the foods are best used by. Experts advise using the cans as soon as possible.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report. You can read, download and comment on our reports at voaspecialenglish.com. I'm Fritzi Bodenheimer
 

1 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

2 waterproof   

n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水

参考例句：

• My mother bought me a waterproof watch.我妈妈给我买了一块防水手表。
• All the electronics are housed in a waterproof box.所有电子设备都储放在一个防水盒中。

3 evacuate   

v.遣送；搬空；抽出；排泄；大(小)便

参考例句：

• We must evacuate those soldiers at once!我们必须立即撤出这些士兵！
• They were planning to evacuate the seventy American officials still in the country.他们正计划转移仍滞留在该国的70名美国官员。

4 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

5 rusted   

v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I can't get these screws out; they've rusted in. 我无法取出这些螺丝，它们都锈住了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My bike has rusted and needs oil. 我的自行车生锈了，需要上油。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

7 bleach   

vt.使漂白；vi.变白；n.漂白剂

参考例句：

• These products don't bleach the hair.这些产品不会使头发变白。
• Did you bleach this tablecloth?你把这块桌布漂白了吗？