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塑化剂在食品中广泛存在

　　New research from the American non-profit organization Consumer Reports finds that plastics have a "widespread" presence in food.

　　美国非营利组织“消费者报告”的最新研究发现，塑料在食品中“广泛”存在。

　　The group called on the United States government to examine the safety of food that comes into contact with plastics during production.

　　该组织呼吁美国政府检查在生产过程中接触到塑料的食品的安全性。

　　In a report released Thursday, Consumer Reports said that 84 out of 85 food products it recently tested contained "plasticizers" called phthalates.

　　在周四发布的一份报告中，“消费者报告”称，在最近检测的85种食品中，有84种含有一种叫做邻苯二甲酸酯的“增塑剂”。

　　Phthalates are chemicals used to make plastic last longer.

　　邻苯二甲酸酯是一种用来延长塑料使用寿命的化学物质。

　　The tested food came from supermarkets and restaurants.

　　被检测的食品来自超市和餐馆。

　　The researchers also said 79 percent of the foods examined contained bisphenol A (BPA), another chemical found in plastic, and other bisphenols.

　　研究人员还表示，79%的被检测食品含有双酚A（BPA）——塑料中发现的另一种化学物质——以及其他双酚类物质。

　　But levels were lower than in tests done in 2009.

　　但含量低于2009年的检测结果。

　　Consumer Reports said all the phthalate levels were within limits set by U.S. and European regulators.

　　“消费者报告”称，所有的邻苯二甲酸酯含量都在美国和欧洲监管机构规定的限制范围内。

　　However, this does not mean the chemicals are safe to eat.

　　然而，这并不意味着这些化学物质可以安全食用。

　　Deciding acceptable levels for such chemicals in food is tricky¹.

　　决定食品中此类化学物质的可接受含量是一件棘手的事情。

　　Officials in the U.S. and Europe have set limits for only bisphenol A (BPA) and a few phthalates.

　　美国和欧洲的官员只对双酚A（BPA）和几种邻苯二甲酸酯设定了限制。

　　All the foods tested remained within the limits, the experts said.

　　专家表示，所有被检测的食品都在限制范围之内。

　　However, does that mean it is safe to eat? The researchers say no.

　　然而，这是否意味着它可以安全食用呢？研究人员的答案是否定的。

　　Tunde Akinleye was the lead scientist in the food testing.

　　Tunde Akinleye是食品检测的首席科学家。

　　He says many of the limits on the chemicals are not in line with the most current scientific knowledge, he reported.

　　他说，对化学物质的许多限制都不符合最新的科学知识。

　　"We don't feel comfortable saying these levels are okay," Akinleye said.

　　Akinleye说：“我们不愿意说这些含量是可以的。”

　　Phthalates and bisphenols can interfere² with the body's production and release of estrogen and other hormones³.

　　邻苯二甲酸酯和双酚类物质会干扰人体雌激素和其他激素的分泌和释放。

　　That can lead to increased risk of birth defects, cancer, diabetes⁴, reproductive problems, developmental disorders⁵, and other health conditions.

　　这可能会导致出生缺陷、癌症、糖尿病、生殖问题、发育障碍和其他健康状况的风险增加。

　　Among the tested supermarket foods, Annie's Organic Cheesy Ravioli contained the most phthalates.

　　在被检测的超市食品中，安妮有机奶酪饺子中邻苯二甲酸酯的含量最高。

　　Del Monte peaches and Chicken of the Sea pink salmon⁶ also were high in phthalates.

　　德尔蒙桃子和海底鸡粉色三文鱼中邻苯二甲酸酯的含量也很高。

　　Increased phthalate levels were also found in products including Cheerios, Gerber baby food and Yoplait yogurt.

　　在晶磨、嘉宝婴儿食品和优诺酸奶等产品中也发现邻苯二甲酸酯含量增加。

　　And the researchers found increased levels in hamburger, chicken and potatoes from fast food restaurants Wendy's, Burger King, and McDonald's.

　　研究人员还发现，温蒂汉堡、汉堡王和麦当劳快餐店的汉堡、鸡肉和土豆中邻苯二甲酸酯的含量都有所增加。

　　Consumer Reports also found some wide differences in levels among similar products.

　　“消费者报告”还发现，类似产品中邻苯二甲酸酯的含量存在很大差异。

　　For example, some chicken from McDonald's contained four times more phthalates than a similar chicken product from Wendy's.

　　例如，麦当劳的一些鸡肉所含的邻苯二甲酸酯是温蒂汉堡类似鸡肉产品的四倍。

　　"That tells us that, as widespread as these chemicals are, there are ways to reduce how much is in our foods," said James Rogers.

　　詹姆斯·罗杰斯说：“这告诉我们，尽管这些化学物质广泛存在，但我们还是有办法减少其在食物的占比。”

　　He supervises Consumer Reports' product safety testing.

　　他负责监督“消费者报告”的产品安全检测。

　　Polar raspberry lime seltzer was the only tested product containing no phthalates.

　　Polar的覆盆子酸橙味苏打水是唯一不含邻苯二甲酸酯的检测产品。

　　General Mills produces brands including Annie's, Cheerios and Yoplait.

　　通用磨坊生产的品牌包括安妮、晶磨和优诺。

　　The company did not immediately answer requests for comment.

　　该公司没有立即回复置评请求。

　　Burger King and Wendy's also did not immediately answer such requests.

　　汉堡王和温蒂汉堡也没有立即回复这样的请求。

　　Chicken of the Sea and Del Monte said they do not add phthalates to their food, and that their suppliers guarantee the same.

　　海底鸡和德尔蒙表示，他们不会在食品中添加邻苯二甲酸酯，他们的供应商也保证不会添加邻苯二甲酸酯。

　　Del Monte added that phthalates are "widespread in the environment."

　　德尔蒙补充说，邻苯二甲酸酯“在环境中广泛存在”。

　　Gerber and McDonald's said they follow government rules connected to their products and require testing for food packaging as well.

　　嘉宝和麦当劳表示，他们遵守与产品相关的政府规定，并要求对食品包装进行检测。