VOA慢速英语2019 美国卫生官员开始限制电子烟的销售（在线收听）

US Health Officials Move to Limit Sales of E-Cigarettes

United States government health officials are moving forward with a plan designed to keep electronic cigarettes out of the hands of young people.

美国政府卫生官员正在推进一项计划，旨在避免让年轻人接触到电子烟。

The plan would restrict sales of most flavored e-cigarettes at drug stores, gasoline stations and other businesses that sell them.

这项计划将限制大部分调味电子烟在药店、加油站和其他售卖点的销售。

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, first proposed the new rules last November. They are the latest government effort to fight what health officials call an epidemic of young people using the devices.

美国食品药品监督管理局（简称FDA）于去年11月首次提出这一新规。卫生官员称电子烟已在青年人群中泛滥，这是政府应对这种情况所采取的最新举措。

E-cigarettes usually heat a flavored substance made with nicotine, a highly addictive chemical. The solution becomes a vapor, a gas that can be breathed in much like cigarette smoke. U.S. federal law bans the sale of e-cigarettes to anyone under 18 years of age. But a study published last year found that 1 in 5 high school students report using the devices – an activity known as vaping.

一般来说，电子烟是加热一种由尼古丁制成的香味物质，而尼古丁是一种非常容易上瘾的化学物质。溶液加热后产生烟雾般的蒸汽，吸入时非常像香烟的烟雾。美国联邦法律禁止向未满18岁者出售电子烟。但是去年公布的一项调查发现，有五分之一的高中生吸电子烟。

Last week, the FDA announced that e-cigarette makers would need to restrict sales of most flavored products. Sales would be limited to stores that ask people for their age upon entry or have a separate, age-restricted area for vaping products. Companies would also be expected to use outside identity-confirmation technology for sales involving the internet.

FDA上周宣布，电子烟制造商需要限制大多数调味产品的销售。只有有年龄限制的商店或为电子烟产品设置单独年龄限制区的商店才能出售电子烟。企业在线上销售电子烟要采取其他身份认证技术。

The FDA will also work to remove vaping products that clearly appeal to children. Examples include products with containers that look like treats children enjoy, such as candy, cookies or fruit drinks. Companies that do not follow the new requirements risk having their products pulled from the U.S. market, the FDA said.

FDA还将致力于消除明显对儿童有吸引力的电子烟产品。比如含有看起来像儿童喜欢的零食的产品，如糖果、曲奇或水果饮料等。FDA表示，不遵守新规定的企业将面临产品被撤出美国市场的风险。

The restrictions will not include three flavors that the FDA says appeal more to adults than teenagers: tobacco, menthol and mint.

FDA表示，三种对成年人的吸引力胜于青少年的调味电子烟不受限制，分别是：原味、薄荷醇和薄荷味。

New cartridge-based products like Juul have been the main force behind the rise in vaping among teenagers. A large number of U.S. high school students use Juul products during the school day. The rechargeable devices produce no smell and can easily be used in secret in school restrooms and even classrooms.

Juul等新款烟弹型电子烟一直是电子烟在青少年群体中爆红的主力军。大批美国高中生在学校吸食Juul电子烟。这种可充电的产品没有烟味，可以偷偷地在学校卫生间、甚至是教室里吸食。

The Silicon Valley, California-based company voluntarily halted sales of its fruit and candy-flavored pods in stores last year, before the FDA announcement.

去年，在FDA宣布声明之前，总部位于加州硅谷的Juul公司主动停止了其水果味和糖果味烟弹在商店的销售。

Anti-smoking activists have questioned whether the new FDA restrictions will be enough to stop the rise in teenage vaping. The FDA has little power over how stores sell vaping products. Instead, critics say the agency is largely telling companies to self-police.

反吸烟活动人士对FDA新出台的限制规定是否足以阻止吸食电子烟的青少年人数继续增加提出了质疑。FDA几乎没有权力对商店出售电子烟产品的方式进行规定。批评人士认为，该机构基本上是让各企业进行自我监督。

Erika Sward is with the American Lung Association, which has called on the FDA to remove all flavored e-cigarettes from the market. Sward said the FDA’s decision to leave out menthol and mint flavors is a mistake. Studies show those flavors are used by nearly half of teenagers who vape.

艾丽卡·斯沃德来自美国肺脏协会，该协会呼吁FDA将所有调味电子烟撤出市场。斯沃德表示，FDA不限制薄荷醇和薄荷味电子烟的决定是个错误。研究显示，近半数青少年在吸食这些口味的电子烟。

Health experts say nicotine is highly harmful to developing brains. Some researchers worry that addicted teens will eventually move from vaping to smoking cigarettes and other products.

健康专家表示，尼古丁对发育中的大脑极具危害。一些研究人员担心，已经上瘾的青少年最终会从吸食电子烟转向吸食香烟和其他产品。

During the presidency of Barack Obama, his administration developed rules requiring manufacturers to present e-cigarettes for safety and health exams by August 2018. But current FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb delayed that requirement until 2022. He argued that both the FDA and the industry needed more time to prepare.

在巴拉克·奥巴执政时期，他领导的政府出台规定，要求制造商在2018年8月前提交电子烟的安全卫生审查报告。但是现任美国食品药品监督管理局局长斯科特·戈特利布将报告提交时间推迟至2022年。他认为，FDA和该行业都需要更多的准备时间。

But now, under the agency’s new rules, that date will move to 2021.

不过目前，依据FDA出台的新规，截止时间已改至2021年。

Still, the American Lung Association and several other anti-smoking groups are taking legal action against the FDA. They want the federal government to begin studying the safety and health effects of e-cigarettes immediately.

The new rules are expected to heavily affect small businesses. Groups representing those stores have fought against the plan since it was first proposed last November.

但是，美国肺脏协会和其他多个反吸烟组织仍准备起诉FDA。他们希望联邦政府立即开始对电子烟的安全性和健康影响展开调查。预计新规将对小型商店产生严重影响。自去年11月新规出台以来，代表这些商店的组织一直在对抗这项计划。

The restrictions are expected to have less of an effect on vape specialty shops. That is because many of them already require store workers to ask people for identity documents.

预计限制规定对电子烟专卖店的影响不会太大。这是因为许多专卖店已经要求工作人员让顾客出示身份证明。

A separate proposal announced last Wednesday aims to ban flavored cigars that were launched after 2007. That is the effective date for many of FDA’s legal powers. Cigars come in flavors like blueberry, cherry and chocolate. Lawmakers worry teenagers could turn to these tobacco products as flavored e-cigarettes are restricted.

上周三公布的另一项计划旨在禁止2007年之后上市的调味烟。那是FDA多项法律权利的生效日期。蓝莓、樱桃和巧克力等口味的香烟纷纷上市。议员担心，在调味电子烟被限制的情况下，青少年会转而吸食这类香烟。

The FDA will accept comments on the guidelines for 30 days before finalizing them later this year.

FDA将就其准则公开征收意见30天，在今年晚些时候确定最终方案。

Words in This Story

flavored – adj. possessing a given taste

epidemic – n. a sudden quickly spreading occurrence of something harmful or unwanted

addictive – adj. causing a strong and harmful need to regularly have or do something

vapor – n. a substance that is in the form of a gas or that consists of very small drops or particles mixed with the air

teenager(s) – n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old

cartridge – n. a case or container that you put into a machine to make it work

pod(s) – n. a small container