VOA慢速英语--石油泄漏导致尼日利亚婴儿死亡率上升

 Study: Oil Spills Double Risk of Baby Deaths in Nigeria

A new study has found that babies have a higher chance of dying in their first few weeks of life if their mothers live close to an oil spill.

Researchers studied information about babies dying and oil spills in the Niger Delta¹ area of southern Nigeria. The researchers described their results as ‘shocking.’

The study comes from scientists from the University of Saint Gallen in Switzerland. They found that babies born in the Niger Delta were two times as likely to die in the first month of life if their mothers lived close to an oil spill before they became pregnant.

Nigeria is one of the largest oil producers in Africa. And, oil spills are common there. An estimated 240,000 barrels of unprocessed -- or crude -- petroleum² oil are spilled into the Niger Delta every year. The environmental effects are clear to see: waterways covered with black liquid; animals that cannot breathe; dying trees and plants along the coast. Now, the effects on human health are becoming evident.

Roland Hodler was the lead researcher in the study.

“We looked at the birth histories of more than two-and-a-half thousand Nigerian mothers. And we compared siblings³, some conceived before and some conceived after a nearby oil spill.”

The researchers compared information on 6,600 recent oil spills with results from Nigeria’s 2013 Demographic and Health Survey.

The study showed that even spills taking place five years before the women became pregnant doubled the chances of their babies dying after birth. However, spills that happened during pregnancy⁵ appeared to have little effect.

Hodler explains.

“We think the main reason is that some of the negative health effects are just building up over time. So, if you think about these negative health effects, these are due to skin contact with crude oil, or to drinking contaminated water or eating contaminated fish or crops. And also inhaling⁶ smoke from fires.”

Unborn and newborn babies are thought to be at a greater risk as their bodies have yet to build up natural defenses. But the researchers say more studies are needed to show how crude oil affects health.

Crude oil is a mix of complex hydrocarbons⁷ – substances found in oil, coal and gas. Some are harmful to human health. So, Holder⁸ says, a second line of research would be to examine what parts of crude oil are the most harmful for both adults and newborns.

The new study suggests that the effects of oil spills will continue for many years after they happen.

In 2015, oil company Royal Dutch Shell agreed to share the costs of cleaning up its oil spills in the Niger Delta. The United Nations says the clean-up work will likely take 30 years. Critics say the company has paid just a very small amount of the money it promised for the effort. Shell blames oil thieves for causing many of the spills.

The Nigerian government is the majority owner of the Shell Petroleum Development Company, which directs most of Royal Dutch Shell’s operations in Nigeria.

The Nigerian government did not respond to requests for comment.

I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

barrel – n. a large, round container often used to hold liquid

sibling⁴ – n. a brother or sister

conceive – v. to become pregnant

survey – n. an activity in which many people are asked a question or a series of questions in order to gather information about what most people do or think about something

contaminate – v. to make something dangerous, dirty, or impure⁹ by adding something harmful to it

inhale¹⁰ – v. to breathe in

thief – n. a person who steals something

respond – v. to say or write something as an answer to a question or request

1 delta   

n.（流的）角洲

参考例句：

• He has been to the delta of the Nile.他曾去过尼罗河三角洲。
• The Nile divides at its mouth and forms a delta.尼罗河在河口分岔，形成了一个三角洲。

2 petroleum   

n.原油，石油

参考例句：

• The Government of Iran advanced the price of petroleum last week.上星期伊朗政府提高了石油价格。
• The purpose of oil refinery is to refine crude petroleum.炼油厂的主要工作是提炼原油。

3 siblings   

n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一个三胞胎睡在其两个同胞之间。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她没办法找到那个捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 来自时文部分

4 sibling   

n.同胞手足(指兄、弟、姐或妹)

参考例句：

• Many of us hate living in the shadows of a more successful sibling.我们很多人都讨厌活在更为成功的手足的阴影下。
• Sibling ravalry has been common in this family.这个家里，兄弟姊妹之间的矛盾很平常。

5 pregnancy   

n.怀孕，怀孕期

参考例句：

• Early pregnancy is often accompanied by nausea.怀孕早期常有恶心的现象。
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage.怀孕期吸烟会增加流产的危险。

6 inhaling   

v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was treated for the effects of inhaling smoke. 他因吸入烟尘而接受治疗。 来自辞典例句
• The long-term effects of inhaling contaminated air is unknown. 长期吸入被污染空气的影响还无从知晓。 来自互联网

7 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

8 holder   

n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物

参考例句：

• The holder of the office of chairman is reponsible for arranging meetings.担任主席职位的人负责安排会议。
• That runner is the holder of the world record for the hundred-yard dash.那位运动员是一百码赛跑世界纪录的保持者。

9 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

10 inhale   

v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟)

参考例句：

• Don't inhale dust into your lung.别把灰尘吸进肺里。
• They are pleased to not inhale second hand smoke.他们很高兴他们再也不会吸到二手烟了。