报告称污染仍是对人类健康最大的环境威胁

A new international report says pollution remains¹ the largest environment threat to human health.

The report, by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP), estimated that pollution was responsible for 15 percent of all deaths worldwide in 2017.

The organization said the number of premature² deaths from pollution reached 8.3 million people worldwide that year. That is three times higher than the worldwide death totals from AIDS, tuberculosis³ and malaria⁴.

The GAHP is made up of more than 50 members, including United Nations agencies, world governments, environmental groups and educational organizations. It seeks to raise international attention about pollution issues and help governments create solutions to fight the problem.

The GAHP said that more than 90 percent of the pollution-related deaths occurred in developing countries. The report noted⁵ that such deaths remain a "neglected" issue, especially in low- and middle-income countries.

The writers of the report said international efforts have helped to reduce the effects of traditional pollution sources, such as poor sanitation⁶ and smoky cooking fires. But they noted that modern pollution from cities and industrial production is increasing.

The report suggests that a worldwide health crisis "is, in fact, still undercounted, still under-addressed [and] still under-resourced," GAHP's acting⁷ Director Rachael Kupka said.

The research follows up on a major report released in 2017 by the publication The Lancet. That report was created by an international group of university researchers, national health ministries⁸, nongovernmental organizations, the World Bank and the United Nations. The group looked at the causes of death and disability in four areas: air, water, job-related risks and lead exposure.

In the GAHP report, India and China had the largest total number of pollution-related deaths. They were followed by Nigeria, Indonesia and Pakistan. The United States was seventh.

"There are countries from almost every region of the world present in that top 10 list," Kupka said. "We really are all impacted. It doesn't matter where you are."

Pollution-related deaths per 100,000 people were highest in Chad, Central African Republic and North Korea. India still ranked high on the list, at number 10.

Research has shown that pollution raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, lung disease, and other conditions. The report said pollution adds more years of disability worldwide than smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, as well as wars and violence.

The GAHP noted that its latest estimates likely represent an undercount. For example, the group did not include major pollution sources such as pesticides⁹ and mercury.

Kupka says researchers will aim to center on those issues in the next pollution report in The Lancet, which is planned for 2021.

The good news, Kupka said, is that controls already exist to help reduce the harmful effects of pollution. She urged officials in problem countries to recognize and enforce emissions¹¹ controls for vehicles and smoke sources. She said protective equipment for workers should also be provided, as it already is in many countries.

Words in This Story

premature – adj. happening too soon or before the usual time

neglect – v. to not give something enough care or attention

income – n. money earned through working, investing or producing goods

sanitation – n. a system for protecting people's health by removing dirt and waste

exposure – n. coming in contact with something

follow up – v. to continue or complete something started earlier

impact – v. to affect

emission¹⁰ – n. the act of releasing something

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 premature   

adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的

参考例句：

• It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
• The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。

3 tuberculosis   

n.结核病，肺结核

参考例句：

• People used to go to special health spring to recover from tuberculosis.人们常去温泉疗养胜地治疗肺结核。
• Tuberculosis is a curable disease.肺结核是一种可治愈的病。

4 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 sanitation   

n.公共卫生，环境卫生，卫生设备

参考例句：

• The location is exceptionally poor,viewed from the sanitation point.从卫生角度来看，这个地段非常糟糕。
• Many illnesses are the result,f inadequate sanitation.许多疾病都来源于不健全的卫生设施。

7 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

8 ministries   

（政府的）部( ministry的名词复数 )； 神职； 牧师职位； 神职任期

参考例句：

• Local authorities must refer everything to the central ministries. 地方管理机构应请示中央主管部门。
• The number of Ministries has been pared down by a third. 部委的数量已经减少了1/3。

9 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》

10 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

11 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。