美容產(chǎn)品是城市空氣污染的主要來源

楊舟

People commonly use shampoo， hairspray1， deodorant2， cleaning sprays， paint and glues. Such products can dirty the air. In fact， they are as bad for urban air as is burning gasoline or diesel3 fuel4. Thats the finding of a recent study.

人們常使用洗發(fā)水、發(fā)膠、除臭劑、清潔劑、油漆和膠水。這些產(chǎn)品會(huì)污染空氣。事實(shí)上，它們對(duì)城市空氣的危害和燃燒汽油或柴油一樣嚴(yán)重。這是最近一項(xiàng)研究的發(fā)現(xiàn)。

Each use of these products releases a mix of chemicals. Some of these belong to a class known as VOCs. Thats short for volatile5 organic6 compounds （which means they are gases and contain carbon）. Many VOCs hang around in the outdoor air. Quite a few common VOCs come from products made from petroleum7 and other fossil8 fuels.

每次使用這些產(chǎn)品都會(huì)釋放混合的化學(xué)物質(zhì)，其中一些屬于VOCs類。這是揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物的縮寫（也就是說，它們是氣體，含有碳）。室外空氣中有許多揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物。相當(dāng)多的常見揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物來自石油和其他化石燃料產(chǎn)品。

Certain VOCs can react with other chemicals in the air to create ozone9. These VOCs can also help create particles known as “fine” （or small） particulates. Ozone is an ingredient of smog. That smog， along with high levels of fine particulates， can make it hard to breathe. This can be especially true for people who have lung problems， such as asthma10. Ozone and particulates also can contribute to other lung problems， diabetes and heart disease.

某些揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物可以與空氣中的其他化學(xué)物質(zhì)反應(yīng)，產(chǎn)生臭氧。這些揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物也會(huì)致使被稱為“細(xì)”（或?。╊w粒物的顆粒產(chǎn)生。臭氧是霧霾的一種成分。這種霧霾，有著高濃度的微粒，會(huì)使人呼吸困難，這尤其影響到肺部有問題的人，比如哮喘患者。臭氧和微粒也會(huì)引發(fā)其他肺部問題、糖尿病和心臟病。

When people think of outdoor air pollution， their thoughts probably go to the exhaust gases spewed11 by cars and trucks. Or they might think of gases leaving factory smokestacks. But “sources of air pollution in cities are becoming more diverse，” Brian McDonald explained. McDonald is a chemist. He works at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences in Boulder， Colo. He shared his teams new findings in February， 2018 at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Austin， Texas.

當(dāng)人們想到室外空氣污染時(shí)，他們想到的很可能是汽車和卡車排放的廢氣，或者他們可能會(huì)想到從工廠煙囪里排出的氣體。但是“城市的空氣污染源正變得越來越多樣化，”布萊恩·麥克唐納解釋說。麥克唐納是個(gè)化學(xué)家，他在科羅拉多州博爾德市的環(huán)境科學(xué)合作研究所工作。2018年2月，他在德克薩斯州奧斯汀舉行的美國科學(xué)進(jìn)步協(xié)會(huì)的會(huì)議上分享了團(tuán)隊(duì)的新發(fā)現(xiàn)。

On average， people use 15 times more gasoline and diesel， by weight， than VOC-emitting household products. But cosmetics12， cleansers and other household products created 38 percent of the VOC emissions that this recent study found in city air.

平均來說，人們使用的汽油和柴油的重量是排放揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物的家用產(chǎn)品的15倍。但是化妝品、清潔劑和其他家用產(chǎn)品產(chǎn)生的揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物排放量，占到了近期研究中發(fā)現(xiàn)的城市空氣中揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物排放量的38%。

In fact， those products were bigger contributors than fossil fuels were to the creation of fine particulates， ozone and smog. Frequent use of these products by millions of people daily can really add up to a lot of air pollution.

事實(shí)上，比起化石燃料，這些產(chǎn)品才是產(chǎn)生細(xì)顆粒物、臭氧和霧霾更主要的原因。每天無數(shù)的人頻繁使用這些產(chǎn)品，真的會(huì)造成很大的空氣污染。

Notes

1. hairspray? n. 頭發(fā)定型劑

2. deodorant? n. 除臭劑

3. diesel? n. 柴油機(jī);柴油

4. fuel? n. 燃料

5. volatile? adj. 揮發(fā)性的;不穩(wěn)定的

6. organic? ?adj. 有機(jī)的

7. petroleum n. 石油

8. fossil? adj. 化石的

9. ozone? n. 臭氧

10. asthma? ?n. 哮喘，氣喘

11. spew? vt. 噴出;嘔吐

12. cosmetic? n. 化妝品;裝飾品

▲Discussion議一議：

1. What can you do to reduce pollution from VOC-releasing household products？ 你可以做些什么以減少來自會(huì)釋放揮發(fā)性有機(jī)化合物的家用產(chǎn)品的污染？

2. Are there alternatives that can be used in your home？ 你家中有其他替代品可供選擇嗎？

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