新奇事件簿 海产品中的微塑料引发担忧（在线收听）

 People who eat seafood may be also eating tiny pieces of plastic. The small pieces of plastic are called microplastics. They are tiny pieces of plastic from the waste and garbage that are in the seas and oceans. They are usually less than a millimeter wide. They are becoming more and more common in seafood such as oysters and mussels as well as other kinds of shellfish. Scientists say there are more than five trillion pieces of microplastic in our oceans. More and more are being added every day. Professor Richard Thompson, a marine biologist at Exeter University, said: "Hundreds of marine organisms encounter plastic at the sea surface or in the water…and many of those encounters are harmful if not fatal."

食用海产品的人可能同时进食了微小的塑料。这些小的塑料被称作微塑料。它们是来自海洋中废品和垃圾的微小塑料颗粒。它们的直径通常小于一毫米。牡蛎，蚌类和其他贝类动物中的微塑料已经越来越常见。科学家表示，我们的大洋中有超过5兆个微塑料，而且每天都在增加。埃克塞特大学海洋生物学家Richard Thompson教授表示：“数百种海洋生物体在海面或海水中遭遇塑料制品，许多塑料并不致命，但是有害。”

Researchers from the University of Ghent in Belgium conducted a study into microplastics and marine life. They believe people eat up to 11,000 pieces of plastic in their food each year. The researchers said that only around 60 of these pieces stay in our body and the rest will disappear down the toilet. Sixty pieces of microplastic may not seem a lot but it will build up over time. They could eventually be bad for our health. Things are likely to get worse. The researchers added that by the end of the century, seafood eaters could consume as many as 780,000 pieces of plastic a year. That is likely to cause many health problems. Scientists say we need to recycle more and find alternatives to plastic.

来自比利时根特大学的研究人员对微塑料和海洋生物进行了一项调查。他们相信人们每年通过食物进食1.1万个微塑料。研究人员表示，其中只有60个微塑料会留在我们的体内，其它的会通过粪便消失在马桶中。60个微塑料听上去并不多，但是会随着时间不断累积。它们最终会对健康有害，可能会更加糟糕。研究人员补充说，到本世纪末，吃海产品的人每年可能会摄入多达78万个微塑料。这可能会导致许多健康问题。科学家表示，我们需要回收更多塑料制品，找到塑料的替代品。