VOA慢速英语2019 世卫组织称饮用水中的微塑料不构成健康威胁

（单词翻译）

Plastics in Drinking Water Are a Concern

The World Health Organization says levels of plastic in drinking water present a low risk to health, but need more research.

世界卫生组织表示，饮用水中的塑料含量对健康的风险较低，但是还需要做更多研究。

On Thursday, the WHO released a report on microplastics, particles smaller than five millimeters.

世界卫生组织周四发布了一份关于微塑料的报告，这种粒子的直径小于5毫米。

Bruce Gordon is the WHO’s coordinator¹ for water, sanitation² and hygiene³. He said one of the main findings of the report is: “If you are a consumer drinking bottled water or tap water, you shouldn’t necessarily be concerned.”

布鲁斯·戈登是世界卫生组织水、环境和卫生事务协调员。他说该报告的重大发现之一是：“如果你饮用的是瓶装水或是自来水，就不必担心。”

However, Gordon said that the available information is “weak” and that more research is needed. He also urged a greater effort to reduce plastic pollution.

然而，戈登表示，现有数据“薄弱”，需要进行更多研究来佐证。他还督促加大力度减少塑料污染。

Andrew Mayes teaches chemistry at Britain’s University of East Anglia. He was not part of the WHO study. He said that microplastics did not appear to be a health worry for now.

安德鲁·梅耶斯在英国东安格利亚大学教授化学。他并未参与世卫组织的这项研究。他说，微塑料目前似乎不构成一种健康问题。

But he added that stronger measures are needed to reduce plastic waste.

但他也说，需要采取更强有力的措施来减少塑料垃圾。

“We know that these types of materials cause stress to small organisms,” he said. “They could be doing a lot of damage in unseen ways.”

梅耶斯表示：“我们知道这类材料会对小生物造成压力。它们可能会以看不见的方式造成很大的伤害。”

Health concerns center on smaller particles that get into drinking water and into human digestive systems.

健康担忧集中在进入饮用水和人体消化系统的细微颗粒上。

A study supported by the Word Wildlife Fund and released in June said that plastic is widespread throughout the environment. It estimated that people may be eating or drinking as much as five grams of plastic each week. That is equal to the amount of plastic in a credit card.

由世界野生生物基金会赞助并于今年6月发布的一项研究称，塑料在整个环境中广泛存在。据估计，人们每周会摄入多达5克塑料，相当于吃进去一张信用卡。

Plastics are everywhere

塑料无处不在

The study found that plastics exist throughout the environment and have been found in sea water, freshwater, food and drinking water.

该研究发现，塑料存在于整个环境中，在海水、淡水、食物和饮用水中都有发现。

Possible risks from microplastics come from small particles, chemicals and microorganisms that stick to plastic materials.

微塑料的潜在风险来自于小颗粒、化学物质以及粘附在塑料材料上的微生物。

Gordon said that the WHO would continue to study levels of microplastics in water. However, he said that higher importance is given to proven risks in drinking water such as bacteria that cause typhoid and cholera⁴.

戈登表示，世卫组织将会继续研究水中的微塑料含量。然而他说，我们更关注的是饮用水中的已知风险，例如会导致伤寒和霍乱的细菌。

The report notes that microorganisms are the biggest threat to healthy drinking water. For example, research blames 485,000 deaths in 2016 on drinking water infected with microbes.

该报告指出，微生物是健康饮用水的最大威胁。例如，研究认为2016年有48.5万人死亡是因为感染了微生物的饮用水。

“These are the things that cause immediate⁵ illness and can kill millions of people,” Gordon said.

戈登表示：“这些会导致直接疾病，造成数百万人死亡。”

I’m Mario Ritter Jr.

Words in This Story

sanitation –n. the process of keeping places free of infection, dirt and disease by removing waste

hygiene –n. things that people do to keep themselves clean in order to maintain good health

consumer –n. someone or some group who buys goods and services

tap –n. a device that controls the flow of water or other liquids

absorb –v. to take in some liquid

priority –n. something that is more important than other things