美国国家公共电台 NPR Lethal Pneumonia Outbreak Caused By Low Chlorine In Flint Water

 

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

Scientists announced today that they have figured out the cause of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Flint, Mich., a few years ago. Twelve people died. This was at the start of the city's water crisis. And the problem was a lack of chlorine. NPR's Rebecca Hersher reports.

REBECCA HERSHER, BYLINE¹: In April 2014, Flint, Mich., switched its water source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. Almost immediately, residents noticed tap water was discolored and acrid-smelling. By 2015, scientists discovered the water was contaminated with lead and other heavy metals. And at the same time, another health crisis was brewing². Dozens of people were getting sick with something called Legionnaires' disease.

MICHELE SWANSON: It is caused by a bacterium³ - Legionella pneumophila - that normally grows in water.

HERSHER: Michele Swanson has studied Legionnaires' for 25 years at the University of Michigan.

SWANSON: If you don't have a robust⁴ immune system, the microbe can really cause a lethal⁵ pneumonia⁶.

HERSHER: Usually, Legionnaires' is pretty rare - less than a dozen cases each year in the Flint area. But in 2014 and 2015, there was a huge spike⁷ - at least 87 cases and 12 deaths. But it was unclear exactly how the water crisis was connected to the outbreak. Earlier studies suggested the chlorine used to treat the water might have something to do with it. Swanson and her team analyzed⁸ detailed⁹ data and found, yes, the chlorine level had dropped significantly during the crisis, allowing the Legionella bacteria to thrive.

The results were published today in two papers. And it turns out there was a surprising link between the high levels of lead in the water and low levels of chlorine. Lead and other heavy metals can soak up chlorine. So when the water company in Flint switched to the contaminated source, they would've had to dramatically raise chlorine levels to prevent Legionnaires'.

SWANSON: During the Flint water crisis, the amount of chlorine that needed to be present to reduce the risk of disease was much higher than normal.

HERSHER: That also helps explain why the disease outbreak ended when the city switched back to its original water source, even though the Legionella bacteria aren't completely gone from the water system.

MARC EDWARDS: This sort of research is just essential.

HERSHER: Marc Edwards at Virginia Tech was one of the first scientists to sound the alarm about contaminated water in Flint. He says the new findings may lead Utilities to take more responsibility for preventing future outbreaks.

EDWARDS: Clearly, the Flint water crisis and the deadly Legionnaires' disease outbreak showed that there is a role for the water company to protect consumers.

HERSHER: Rebecca Hersher, NPR News.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

3 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

4 robust   

adj.强壮的，强健的，粗野的，需要体力的，浓的

参考例句：

• She is too tall and robust.她个子太高，身体太壮。
• China wants to keep growth robust to reduce poverty and avoid job losses,AP commented.美联社评论道，中国希望保持经济强势增长，以减少贫困和失业状况。

5 lethal   

adj.致死的；毁灭性的

参考例句：

• A hammer can be a lethal weapon.铁锤可以是致命的武器。
• She took a lethal amount of poison and died.她服了致命剂量的毒药死了。

6 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

7 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

8 analyzed   

v.分析( analyze的过去式和过去分词 )；分解；解释；对…进行心理分析

参考例句：

• The doctors analyzed the blood sample for anemia. 医生们分析了贫血的血样。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The young man did not analyze the process of his captivation and enrapturement, for love to him was a mystery and could not be analyzed. 这年轻人没有分析自己蛊惑著迷的过程，因为对他来说，爱是个不可分析的迷。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。