VOA慢速英语2014 Smoking is the Leading Cause of Preventable Death 吸烟是可预防性死亡的主要原因（在线收听）

Smoking is the Leading Cause of Preventable Death 吸烟是可预防性死亡的主要原因

From VOA Learning English, this is Science in the News. 

来自VOA学英语，这里是科学报道。

I’m Anna Matteo.

我是Anna Matteo。

And I’m Christopher Cruise.

我是Christopher Cruise。

This week we talk about smoking -- a preventable cause of cancer.

本周我们来讨论吸烟——可预防性死因。

This year, the United States marked the 50th anniversary of the government’s first report on smoking and health. The then-Surgeon General -- Luther Terry -- wrote that first report. It linked cigarettes to lung cancer and heart disease. The year was 1964. At that time, more than 40 percent of Americans smoked. Today, about 18 percent are smokers. 

今年，美国标示了继第一次政府报道吸烟与健康问题的第五十周年。由当时的卫生局局长Luther Terry撰写了那份报道。报道里将香烟与肺癌以及心脏病联系到一起。那一年是1964年。那时候，超过40%的美国人民吸烟。而如今，美国有18%的烟民。

Anti-smoking measures save lives in the U.S.

禁止吸烟措施拯救了美国人民的生命

The report led to anti-smoking measures, including a requirement to place warnings on cigarette packages. The government also banned television and radio advertisements for cigarettes. 

那篇报道导致了戒烟措施的实行，包括要求在烟盒上放警示语，政府也禁止电视广播播放香烟广告。

American medical researchers say anti-smoking measures have saved 8 million American lives since 1964. But cigarette smoking still kills about 443,000 Americans every year.

美国医学研究者说自1964年以来，戒烟措施已经拯救了8百万美国人民的生命。但是吸烟依然每年害死大约443,000的美国人。

Dr. Joanna Cohen heads the Global Tobacco Initiative at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She says the surgeon general’s report has had a real effect on Americans. 

Joanna Cohen博士在约翰普霍金斯大学公共卫生学院领导了全球烟草倡议。她说卫生局局长的报道对美国人民有非常深远的影响。

“And it really led to a reduction in use and a great increase in knowledge of the harmful effects of tobacco products.”  

“那篇报道确实导致了烟草产品使用量的减少，以及其不良效应方面知识的大量增加。”

?In the United States, laws now restrict tobacco use, including the sale of cigarettes to individuals under the age of 18. Laws also protect non-smokers from breathing smoke-filled air. Many cities have banned smoking in public spaces like restaurants, bars and even outdoor areas. Anyone visiting New York City’s famous Central Park may receive a fine for lighting up a cigarette.               

在美国，法律现在限制烟草的使用，包括将香烟卖给未满18岁的人。法律还保护非吸烟者使之免于吸入充满烟的空气。很多城市在餐馆、酒吧、甚至是户外等公共场所禁止吸烟。任何来到纽约中央公园的游客可能会因为点燃一支烟而收到罚单。

The medical community has repeatedly reported reasons why smokers should stop. A new report by the acting surgeon general says recent findings show that smoking is even worse than people believe it to be. Boris Lushniak says smoking is linked to colon, rectal and liver cancers. 

医学会已经反复报道了吸烟者为什么需要戒烟的理由。一位临时卫生处处长的最新报道说，最近研究发现，吸烟的害处比人们所想象中的还要严重，Boris Lushniak说，吸烟与结肠，结肠癌和直肠癌有关。

“Today we know that smoking is a cause of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and poor response to treatment of arthritis, erectile dysfunction, an increased risk of tuberculosis, disease and death.  We’re adding colon, rectal and liver cancer to the long list of cancers caused by smoking.”

“如今我们知道吸烟会导致糖尿病，风湿性关节炎，不良反应治疗关节炎，勃起功能障碍，得肺结核的风险增加，疾病以及死亡。我们在这份长长的吸烟致癌清单上增加了结肠，结肠癌和直肠癌。”

Dr. Lushniak says smoking weakens the body’s natural defenses against disease, making it easier for smokers to get sick. The new report also lists the risks for people who do not smoke, but who are surrounded by what is called “secondhand smoke.”

Lushniak博士说吸烟会削弱人体对疾病的自然防御功能，使吸烟者更容易患病。那份报道还列举了一些关于不吸烟、却被烟雾环绕的人面临的风险，我们称之为“二手烟”。

The research shows the damaging effects on unborn children.  Pregnant women who smoke are putting their unborn children at risk for both mental and physical developmental problems. For example, their facial features may not form correctly. The dangerous chemicals in tobacco smoke can also affect the brain of an unborn child.

研究显示了吸烟对未出生儿童的有害效应。吸烟的孕妇使她们的孩子遭遇着精神与身体发育问题的双重风险。比如，他们的面部特征可能会不协调。吸烟时产生的有害化学物质还会影响未出生孩子的大脑。

Number of Smokers is Expected to Grow in Asia Pacific

亚太地区的烟民数量预计会增长

Health experts have been warning about links between smoking and disease for years. The World Health Organization says tobacco use causes almost 6 million deaths worldwide every year. The WHO predicts the yearly number will increase to 8 million by 2030. 

健康专家已经警示了很多年关于吸烟与疾病的关联。世界健康组织（WHO）说，烟草使用导致世界上每年6百万人的死亡。并且预计这个数量到2030年的时候会增长到8百万。

Tobacco use is the leading risk factor for causing cancer. The WHO says that tobacco is responsible for over 20 percent of all cancer deaths and 70 percent of all lung cancer deaths. Smoking also causes respiratory diseases, which affect the nose and breathing passages to the surface of the lungs. Respiratory diseases include asthma, bronchitis and emphysema. Smoking can also cause cardiovascular diseases, like heart disease and stroke.

烟草使用是致癌的主要因素。WHO说烟草与20%的癌症死亡，以及70%的肺癌死亡有关。吸烟还会引起呼吸道疾病，感染鼻子、呼吸道以及肺表面。呼吸道疾病包括哮喘，支气管炎以及肺气肿。吸烟还会导致心血管疾病，像是心脏病，中风。

People who smoke are not only hurting themselves. They also can harm non-smokers. The WHO officials estimate that secondhand smoke kills 600,000 people each year. It says more than half of the world’s children regularly breathe secondhand smoke. 

吸烟的人不仅是伤害他们自己。他们也会伤害非吸烟者。WHO官方人员估计二手烟每年杀害600,000人。并且说世界上超过一半的孩子在不断地呼吸着二手烟。

Even after all the warnings, the WHO says over 1 billion people still smoke. The number of smokers is expected to grow, although rates have decreased in the higher income nations. 

即使有这些警告，WHO说超过10亿的人依然在吸烟。并且吸烟人数预期会更多，即使较高收入国家的吸烟人已经有所减少。

WHO officials say almost 80 percent of all smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. In 2010, the organization said nations in the Western Pacific Ocean have the highest smoking rates. One-third of all smokers live in East Asia and the Pacific. The area has the largest number of male smokers. It also has the fastest-growing number of female and child smokers. Every day, diseases linked to tobacco use kill more than 3,000 people in the area.

WHO说几乎80%的吸烟者都生活在中低收入国家。2010年，WHO说西太平洋的国家吸烟率最高。吸烟者中三分之一住在东亚和太平洋地区。那里有最大数目的男性吸烟者。那里还有数量增长最快的女性和儿童吸烟者。在那个地方，每一天，与烟草使用有关的疾病杀死超过3，000的人。

Scientists have found more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke.  At least 250 of them are known to be harmful. And more than 50 are suspected to cause cancer. They include arsenic, which can be used to kill plants and small animals. Cigarette smoke also contains formaldehyde -- a liquid used to protect the look of dead bodies. 

科学家已经发现吸烟过程产生的超过4000种化学物质。它们之中至少有250种是已知的有害物质。而且，超过50种被怀疑有致癌作用。它们包含砷，可以用来杀死植物以及一些小动物。吸烟过程中还包含甲醛——一种用于保持尸体样貌的液体。

As bad as those chemicals are, nicotine may be the most threatening of them all. Nicotine is a poison found in tobacco. It gives smokers pleasure and keeps them coming back for more. 

和那些化学物质一样有害，尼古丁可能是其中威胁最大的。尼古丁是一种在烟草中发现的毒物。它给吸烟者愉悦感并且使他们想要更多。

The body grows to depend on nicotine. Studies have found that nicotine can be as difficult to resist as alcohol or the drug cocaine.  Experts say nicotine can kill a person when taken in large amounts.  It does this by stopping the muscles used for breathing. 

身体变得依赖尼古丁。研究显示，尼古丁很难抵抗，就如同酒精和毒品可卡因一样。专家说，尼古丁会杀死过量吸入的人。原因是它能阻止呼吸肌肉的使用。

So is there any way to smoke without harming your health? The majority of available research suggests not. Smoking even a few cigarettes can be dangerous. But many of the harmful effects of smoking are reversible. They can be undone. That is why most medical experts advise people to stop smoking forever. 

那么有没有什么方式可以吸烟而不危害健康呢？可获得的调查中大多数表示没有。哪怕是吸入一点点烟也是危险的。但是吸烟的很多有害效应是可以消除的。他们可以不起作用。这就是为什么医学专家永远只是建议人们停止吸烟。

The American Cancer Society says blood pressure returns to normal 20 minutes after the last cigarette. Carbon monoxide levels in the blood return to normal after eight hours. The chance of heart attack decreases after one day. After one year, the risk of heart disease for a non-smoker is half that of a smoker. 

美国癌症协会说，血压会在最后一支烟吸完的二十分钟之后恢复正常。血液中一氧化碳含量会在8小时之后恢复正常。心脏病发作几率在一天之后减少。一年后，不吸烟的人得心脏病的风险是吸烟者的一半。

E-Cigarette is Still Unproven as Nicotine Replacement

电子烟还没能验明可以取代尼古丁

There are many products available to help people reduce their dependence on cigarettes. Nicotine replacement products provide the body with small amounts of the chemical through forms other than cigarettes. The amounts of nicotine are slowly reduced over time. 

有很多可获得的产品帮助人们减少对香烟的依赖。尼古丁替代品以非香烟模式提供给身体少量的化学物质。尼古丁的含量随着时间一点点减少。

One device that has become popular among people trying to quit smoking is the electronic cigarette, known as an e-cigarette. E-cigarettes are battery-operated devices that look like a real cigarette.  The smoker places a regulated amount of nicotine into the device. As they “smoke,” a watery substance called “vapor” releases from the device. Because the vapor does not release the same harmful chemicals as cigarette smoke, the device is permitted in places that normally ban smoking. 

一种试图帮助人们戒烟的设备已经开始流行，那就是电子香烟，即大家熟知的电子烟。电子烟是电池供电的设备，看起来像是真正的香烟。吸烟者向设备中放入常规数量的尼古丁。当他们“吸”的时候，一种叫做“蒸汽”的似水物质会从设备中释放出来。因为那种蒸汽不像吸烟时一样释放有害化学物质，所以这种设备在一些正常情况下禁止吸烟的地方是被允许的。

However, there are campaigns to ban e-cigarettes and change legislation linked to the device. In February, the European Parliament approved new rules on e-cigarettes that member nations must approve. The European Commission says the rules will go into effect in May of 2014. They include banning advertisements for e-cigarettes, placing health warnings similar to those on cigarettes on the packages, and limiting the amount of nicotine that could be placed in the devices. 

然而，有些活动禁止电子烟，并且将限制转移到对它的限制上。二月份，欧洲议会批准了新的关于电子烟的法规，所有成员国必须赞成。欧盟委员会说该项法规将在2014年五月份生效。其中包括禁止电子烟广告，增放与香烟盒上类似的健康警示语，以及，使用电子烟时限制尼古丁的使用量。

The New York Times newspaper reports that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is also looking into new rules and regulations on the devices. However, the agency says there is not enough evidence or research to say e-cigarettes are good or bad for your health. Nor will the agency agree with the debate that e-cigarettes increase young people’s desire to try other tobacco related products. 

纽约时报报道说，美国食品和药物管理局也关注了这项新的法律法规。然而，管理局说，没有足够证据或研究说明电子烟对你的健康是好还是坏。管理局也不赞成这样的争论——电子烟会增加年轻人尝试其他烟草相关产品的欲望。

Researchers at the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California studied the link between the e-cigarette and real tobacco use. Stan Glantz is the director of the center. He says there is evidence the device helps a small number of adults stop smoking. But, he says, it is not the same with younger people. Mr. Glantz and other researchers completed a study with nearly 76,000 Korean teenagers. They found that the e-cigarette did not help the young Koreans quit smoking, but instead made them heavier smokers.

加利福尼亚大学烟草控制和研究中心的研究人员研究了电子烟和真正香烟使用之间的关联。Stan Glantz是中心的领导者，有证据表明这个设备可以帮助少数的成年人戒烟。但是，他说，年轻人却不一样。Glantz先生以及其他研究员完成了一项接近76,000韩国青少年参与的研究。他们发现电子烟并没有帮助这些年轻的韩国人戒烟，反而使他们变得吸烟状况更加严重。

The study that was published in the Journal of Adolescent Health says the young teenagers are being targeted in advertisements. Many of the ads are linked to sex and independence. They also claim the device will help you quit smoking. But Mr. Glantz says it is not likely they will quit smoking.

这项研究发表在青少年健康杂志上，上面说，青少年是广告的目标。很多广告都与性和独立有关。他们还声称电子烟会帮助你戒烟。但是Glantz说似乎它并不能使他们戒烟。

“We have the kind of Wild West marketing that we did in the bad old days for cigarettes. And the kids are clearly responding to that. And youth use of e-cigarettes in Korea is going up very rapidly just as it did here in the United States.”

“如同过去那些糟糕的日子里，我们对未开荒的美国西部所做的那样，我们的香烟拥有同样的市场。孩子们对此有很明显的回应。韩国年轻人对电子烟的使用数量就像在美国一样增长的非常快。”

American regulators report the number of young students using e-cigarettes increased two times from 2011 to 2012. Now 1.7 million students use the devices. 

美国调解员报道了从2011年到2012年青少年使用电子烟的数量增加了两倍。现在170万的学生使用着这种设备。

Cigarette companies manufacture e-cigarettes. There are efforts in some U.S. cities to ban the devices. Many people believe that, until there are new rules, use of e-cigarettes will lead many people to become long-term smokers. Health experts say the best way to quit smoking is never to start. 

香烟公司生产电子烟。在一些美国城市有些禁止该设备的措施。很多人相信，除非有新法规的出现，否则电子烟的使用将会导致很多人变成长期烟民。健康专家说，最好的戒烟方式就是从不开始。

This Science in the News was written by June Simms and Kim Varzi. 

本科学报道由June Simms和Kim Varzi撰写。

I’m Anna Matteo.

我是Anna Matteo。

我是Christopher Cruise。

下周美国之声更多科学报道与您再见。