研究:气候变暖将提高人类患癌症风险

Melting glaciers and ice sheets are releasing cancer-causing pollutants into the air and oceans, scientists say.
　　The long-lasting chemicals get into the food chain and build up in people's bodies - triggering tumours, heart disease and infertility.

The warning comes in new international study into the links between climate change and a class of man-made toxins called persistent organic pollutants.

The study – due to be published next month – says rising temperatures and more extreme weather are increasing human exposure to pollutants around the world, including in Britain.

有科学家称，融化的冰山与冰盖正将某些致癌物质释放到了空气与海洋当中，这些相当稳定的化学元素将进入生物食物链中，最终进入人体，并引发肿瘤、心脏病和不孕症。这样的警告来自于一份全新的国际科学报告，它详细研究了气候变化与名为“持久性有机污染”的一系列人为有毒物质之间的关系。这份即将于下月发表的报告指出，气温的升高和恶劣天气的频发，这都提高了人类暴露于污染物质之下的程度。

'It is a problem in all parts of the world – pollutants do not respect borders. They travel thousands of miles and they continue to build'Scientists are concerned about Persistent Organic Pollutants, or POPs, because they last decades in the environment and accumulate in body tissue.

They include pesticides such as DDT and chemicals called PCBs used in electrical goods.

“这是个全球性的问题，污染不分国界，他们会长距离循环并继续发展。”科学家们对于持久性有机污染（简称POPS，注解：它是一类化学物质，这类化学物质可以在环境里长期的存留，可以在全球广泛的分布，它可以通过食物链蓄积，逐级的传递，进入到有机体的脂肪组织里聚积。最终会对生物体、人体产生不利的影响。）表示担忧，因为他们将在环境中的存在长达数十年，并要导致人体的健康问题。这其中包括了如DDT农药和电子产品中使用的一种称为“多氯联苯”的化学物质。

Donald Cooper, of the United Nations Environment Programme which published the report at the UN climate talks in Cancun, Mexico, said melting glaciers and ice sheets were releasing POPs trapped years ago into the air and seas.

Extreme weather events – such as this year’s devastating Pakistan floods - were releasing banned pollutants which been stockpiled ready to be higher temperatures were likely to increase the spread of malaria – and increase the use of sprays such as DDT which are harmful to people.

在墨西哥坎昆举行的联合国气候大会上，有关官员称，几年前，由冰山与冰盖正融化所质释已经存在于空气与海洋当中，而诸如今年的巴基斯坦洪灾这样的恶劣天气又将准备被销毁的污染源暴露了出来。气温的升高会加速疟疾的传播，而DDT的过度使用会对人类产生有害的影响。

Mr Cooper said: 'Very small quantities of persistent organic pollutants get into the food chain but they accumulate in higher and higher levels as they go up the food chain. And the end of the food chain is us. We find them in mother’s breast milk and in blood.'

He added: ‘It is a problem in all parts of the world – they do not respect borders. They travel thousands of miles and they continue to build.

'In the past pollutants have travelled long distances and become trapped in ice in glaciers and ice sheets. But as the ice melts, or when temperatures go up, they are released back into the seas and atmosphere.

'It doesn’t matter whether you live in Kenya or Britain, the food goes everywhere around the world.'同时，这位气象官员指出，“少部分的持久性有机污染物进入食物链后回随着级别的上升而增强毒性，位于末端的人类将深受其害。这是一个不分国界的问题，不论你身处何处，食物都是在全球范围内流通的。”

The authors are also concerned at PAHs, airborne pollutants produced by burning fuels.

Achim Steiner, the executive director of UNEP said freak weather events were releasing stockpiles of dangerous pesticides and other pollutants.

'The increasing frequency and severity of tropical cyclones and flood events are increasingly putting at risk stockpiles containing thousands of metric tonnes of obsolete POPs pesticides,' he said.

Higher temperatures can also make seals, whales and polar bars more vulnerable to pollutants, the report says.

由于燃料燃烧所造成的空气污染中的多环芳烃（PAHs）也使得报告的作者们倍感担忧。

科学家指出：“日益平凡的热带气旋（或飓风）以及洪涝灾害所造成的破坏，使得携带有持久性有机污染物的成百上千万吨化学农药成为了危险物品。同时，高气温还是得海豹、鲸鱼与北极熊更容易受到污染的”迫害“。

Vocabulary:

POPS 持久性有机污染物Persistent Organic Pollutant

它是一类化学物质，这类化学物质可以在环境里长期的存留，可以在全球广泛的分布，它可以通过食物链蓄积，逐级的传递，进入到有机体的脂肪组织里聚积。最终会对生物体、人体产生不利的影响。