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电子香烟能导致严重肺部问题

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Just a few years ago, electronic cigarettes were touted as a safe alternative to tobacco cigarettes. Expensive ad campaigns were launched, heavily hyping that e-cigarettes produced harmless vapor that wouldn't cause the adverse health effects that regular cigarette smoking did. Many bought into it, but there remained a segment of people, myself included, remaining dubious about such claims.

就在几年前,电子香烟被广泛认为是烟草制品的替代品。很多厂商将大量的钱投入广告,大肆宣传电子香烟产生的是无毒烟雾,不会像正常香烟一样对健康造成不良影响。于是,很多人都争相购买电子香烟。但是仍然有一部分人,包括我自己,对这个说法产生疑问。

Turns out that such skepticism is justified. According to a bombshell new study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, it turns out that electronic cigarettes contain chemicals and flavor enhancers that prove to be even more hazardous than nicotine. However, since most medical studies and reports focus exclusively on nicotine consumption, these additives and flavorants have gone largely unheeded, until now.

事实证明,那种怀疑是正确的。根据哈佛公共卫生学院一项最新研究显示,电子香烟所包括的化学成分以及增香剂,要比尼古丁更具有危害性。然而,因为目前绝大部分的研究报告主要关注尼古丁的含量,直到现在,这些添加剂和实用香料都没有被注意到。

电子香烟能导致严重肺部问题

For this study, Harvard researchers tested 51 brands of electronic cigarettes available. Their findings are startling. 75 percent of e-cigs tested contain harmful chemicals and additives responsible for the potentially lethal disease bronchiolitis obliterans, or as it's known in the medical industry, popcorn lung.

为了这项研究,哈佛大学的研究者测试了51种不同品牌的电子香烟。研究结果令人震惊。75%的被测试电子烟都包含有害化学物质和添加剂--这些可能导致潜在致命疾病--闭塞性支气管炎,或者说是医学界所熟知的"爆米花肺"。

Popcorn lung received its name when microwave popcorn factory workers developed the disease after constantly inhaling fumes and vapor containing diacetyl. This artificial flavorant is the primary ingredient in imitation butter used for microwave popcorn. Alas, diacetyl isn't just found in imitation butter as the food industry loves to use it to produce other fake flavors, including candy, fruit and alcohol.

"爆米花肺"之所以得此名称,是因为当时在微波爆米花厂工作的工人们持续不断地吸入含有二乙酰的烟雾和蒸汽,导致这种疾病的发病率很高。这种人造的二乙酰不仅能在仿造黄油(一种工业上经常使用并会产生其他味道的原料)找到,在糖果、水果、酒精里也有发现。

Diacetyl isn't the only harmful chemical found in electronic cigarettes. Harvard researchers also discovered acetoin and 2-3 pentanedione, both of which also cause respiratory problems when inhaled consistently. You might be wondering why manufacturers continue to use these chemicals despite their known harmfulness. The answer is twofold: it's cheap to use and a person's health is not top priority when there's a profit to be made.

二乙酰并不是在电子烟中发现的唯一有害物质。哈佛研究者还发现了乙偶姻和2-3戊二酮--如果长时间吸入它们,将引发呼吸问题。你也许会好奇,为什么商家在知道其危害后仍然大量使用这些有害的化学物质。答案是两面的:廉价的原料成本--比起消费者的身体健康,利润才是最先考虑的问题。

Popcorn lung is no laughing matter as the condition is considered incurable by medical doctors. It's a permanent scarring of the lungs from the inside out. Without a lung transplant, survival and recovery is virtually nil. Quite a price to pay for attempting to be trendy by smoking electronic cigarettes.

在目前医学界还无法根治"爆米花肺"的情况下,这并不是一个好笑的事情。它是一种永久性的,从内而外的对肺部的侵蚀。如果不进行移植,存活率或者康复率为零。赶时髦去吸电子烟制品是需要付出很大代价的。

I have never understood the appeal of smoking any kind of cigarette. Not only is it a costly habit that eats a serious hole in one's wallet, the health problems both tobacco and electronic cigarettes cause far outweigh any supposed benefits they offer. With all the knowledge we possess today regarding smoking of any kind, it's a wonder why anyone would even try it at all.

我不能理解烟制品的魅力。它不仅是一个要为之掏腰包的奢侈习惯,而且由烟草和香烟导致的健康问题远超它带来的好处。就目前我们所涉及的所有关于吸烟的知识,甚至很难理解为什么每个人都想尝试一下吸烟。

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