2006年VOA标准英语-US Surgeon General Says Environmental Tobacco S

By David McAlary
27 June 2006
 
  
  
A new U.S. public health report concludes there is no safe level of environmental tobacco smoke. The nation's top public health physician, the Surgeon General, says inhaling¹ someone else's tobacco smoke leads to an immediate² chain of biological events that can lead to disease in a non-smoker and even death.

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Last month, an Ontario, Canada woman named Heather Crowe, a non-smoker, died of lung cancer. For years, she had worked long shifts as a waitress in smoke-filled restaurants. Before her death, she filmed this statement. "My doctor told me I had a smoker's tumor³. I never smoked. The air was blue where I worked and I am dying from second-hand⁴ smoke," she said.

U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona showed that film to emphasize the key point in his new report on the dangers of environmental tobacco smoke. "There is no risk-free level of second-hand smoke exposure. Only smoke-free environments effectively protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke exposure in indoor spaces," he said.

Among the report's major points are these: Non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke increase their risk of developing heart disease and lung cancer by as much as 30 percent. Exposure is also a known cause of sudden infant death syndrome⁵ and childhood ailments⁶ such as breathing problems, ear infections, and asthma⁷ attacks.

Carmona says even brief exposure to environmental tobacco smoke can cause immediate harm to the circulatory system. "Science has shown now that within the first few minutes that you are exposed, there's an effect on clotting⁸ systems, there's an effect on blood vessels⁹ so that it's not going to kill you then, but what you are doing is accepting the fact that the cascade¹⁰ is going to start right then," he said.

Surgeon General Richard Carmona says second-hand smoke also leads to immediate cellular¹¹ changes that can cause cancers.

The conclusions are not new. The mounting evidence has caused the World Health Organization to campaign against involuntary exposure to tobacco smoke for years. Its Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, which went into effect last year, commits the 131 signing nations, including the United States, to adopt measures against it.

In addition, The WHO and the U.S. government's Environmental Protection Agency have joined forces to support pilot projects protecting children from second hand smoke in China, Vietnam, Poland, and Latvia.

And the World Health Organization's western hemisphere branch, the Pan American Health Organization, launched a "Smoke-Free Americas" campaign five years ago to provide technical help to regional governments to reduce passive smoking exposure.

The U.S. Surgeon General's report is based on the same scientific findings that drive these efforts. Carmona says he issued it now to raise the awareness¹² of U.S. citizens. Government figures show that the percentage of Americans who smoke has dropped by half in the last 40 years to 21 percent, but 44 million continue to do so.

He makes an appeal to them. "Make your home a smoke-free environment and get help as quickly as you can," he said

1 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

2 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

3 tumor   

n.（肿）瘤，肿块(英)tumour

参考例句：

• He was died of a malignant tumor.他死于恶性肿瘤。
• The surgeons irradiated the tumor.外科医生用X射线照射那个肿瘤。

4 second-hand   

adj.用过的，旧的，二手的

参考例句：

• I got this book by chance at a second-hand bookshop.我赶巧在一家旧书店里买到这本书。
• They will put all these second-hand goods up for sale.他们将把这些旧货全部公开出售。

5 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

6 ailments   

疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His ailments include a mild heart attack and arthritis. 他患有轻度心脏病和关节炎。
• He hospitalizes patients for minor ailments. 他把只有小病的患者也送进医院。

7 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

8 clotting   

v.凝固( clot的现在分词 )；烧结

参考例句：

• The study was also based only on the one anti-clotting drug. 所用抗血栓药物也仅限于一种。 来自互联网
• A plasma protein that is converted into thrombin during blood clotting. 凝血原酶一种血浆蛋白质，在血液凝聚时转化成凝血''。'酵'。''''。'素'。''。 来自互联网

9 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

10 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

11 cellular   

adj.移动的；细胞的，由细胞组成的

参考例句：

• She has a cellular telephone in her car.她的汽车里有一部无线通讯电话机。
• Many people use cellular materials as sensitive elements in hygrometers.很多人用蜂窝状的材料作为测量温度的传感元件。

12 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。