美容产品是城市空气污染的主要来源

杨舟

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.

人们常使用洗发水、发胶、除臭剂、清洁剂、油漆和胶水。这些产品会污染空气。事实上，它们对城市空气的危害和燃烧汽油或柴油一样严重。这是最近一项研究的发现。

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.

每次使用這些产品都会释放混合的化学物质，其中一些属于VOCs类。这是挥发性有机化合物的缩写（也就是说，它们是气体，含有碳）。室外空气中有许多挥发性有机化合物。相当多的常见挥发性有机化合物来自石油和其他化石燃料产品。

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.

某些挥发性有机化合物可以与空气中的其他化学物质反应，产生臭氧。这些挥发性有机化合物也会致使被称为“细”（或小）颗粒物的颗粒产生。臭氧是雾霾的一种成分。这种雾霾，有着高浓度的微粒，会使人呼吸困难，这尤其影响到肺部有问题的人，比如哮喘患者。臭氧和微粒也会引发其他肺部问题、糖尿病和心脏病。

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.

当人们想到室外空气污染时，他们想到的很可能是汽车和卡车排放的废气，或者他们可能会想到从工厂烟囱里排出的气体。但是“城市的空气污染源正变得越来越多样化，”布莱恩·麦克唐纳解释说。麦克唐纳是个化学家，他在科罗拉多州博尔德市的环境科学合作研究所工作。2018年2月，他在德克萨斯州奥斯汀举行的美国科学进步协会的会议上分享了团队的新发现。

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.

平均来说，人们使用的汽油和柴油的重量是排放挥发性有机化合物的家用产品的15倍。但是化妆品、清洁剂和其他家用产品产生的挥发性有机化合物排放量，占到了近期研究中发现的城市空气中挥发性有机化合物排放量的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.

事实上，比起化石燃料，这些产品才是产生细颗粒物、臭氧和雾霾更主要的原因。每天无数的人频繁使用这些产品，真的会造成很大的空气污染。

Notes

1. hairspray  n. 头发定型剂

2. deodorant  n. 除臭劑

3. diesel  n. 柴油机;柴油

4. fuel  n. 燃料

5. volatile  adj. 挥发性的;不稳定的

6. organic   adj. 有机的

7. petroleum n. 石油

8. fossil  adj. 化石的

9. ozone  n. 臭氧

10. asthma   n. 哮喘，气喘

11. spew  vt. 喷出;呕吐

12. cosmetic  n. 化妆品;装饰品

▲Discussion议一议：

1. What can you do to reduce pollution from VOC-releasing household products？ 你可以做些什么以减少来自会释放挥发性有机化合物的家用产品的污染？

2. Are there alternatives that can be used in your home？ 你家中有其他替代品可供选择吗？

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