2007年VOA标准英语-Ukrainian Officials Predict No Long-Term Conseq

By Peter Fedynsky
Moscow
18 July 2007

Officials in Ukraine are assessing the damage of a train crash in western Ukraine that sent huge clouds of burning phosphorus billowing into the air. The accident, which took place Monday, is raising health concerns as far as Romania, Poland and Belarus. VOA Moscow correspondent Peter Fedynsky examines how far the phosphorus dispersed¹ and to what extent it can damage the environment.

General view of the fire after the derailment of the train near Lviv, Ukraine, 16 July 2007

Thick clouds of burning phosphorus from the train crash near the western Ukrainian city of Lviv raised concerns that people in that region as well as those in nearby countries could be affected². However, Ukrainian officials say the accident is strictly³ of regional concern. So far at least, officials in neighboring Belarus seem to be agreeing with that assessment⁴.

The press secretary of the Emergency Affairs Ministry⁵ in Belarus, Vitali Novitsky, says there are no signs of phosphorus contamination in that country.

The official says various agencies in Belarus are monitoring the environmental impact and are not aware of any negative changes in that country at this time.

The Ukrainian Emergency Affairs Ministry says tests have not revealed any dangerous concentrations of phosphorus in populated areas near the crash site. However, the ministry notes that the concentration of phosphorus oxides in the air in the immediate⁶ vicinity is up to three times the allowable limit. Nonetheless, the Emergency Affairs Ministry says people traveling through the region by car or train need not be concerned.

 

Yuri Ostapenko, head of the toxicology department in Russia's Agency of Social Development and Health, says phosphorus does not cause long-term pollution of water, soil and food supplies.

Ostapenko says phosphorus quickly degrades, and even if small quantities were to enter the body, they are quickly flushed away. So those who were not in the immediate vicinity of the accident should not worry about any catastrophe⁷.

Officials are trying to determine the cause of the accident, which involved a train carrying phosphorus from Kazakhstan to Poland. Fumes⁸ from the crash site covered an area of around 86 square kilometers. About 900 nearby residents were evacuated⁹. Twenty-one people were hospitalized.

Phosphorus burns spontaneously when it comes into contact with oxygen. Handled properly, it has a wide range of applications, from agricultural fertilizer and explosives to detergents¹⁰ and toothpaste. Traces of the substance are also found in the body's nervous tissue and bones.

1 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。

2 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

3 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

4 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

7 catastrophe   

n.大灾难，大祸

参考例句：

• I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
• This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。

8 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

9 evacuated   

撤退者的

参考例句：

• Police evacuated nearby buildings. 警方已将附近大楼的居民疏散。
• The fireman evacuated the guests from the burning hotel. 消防队员把客人们从燃烧着的旅馆中撤出来。

10 detergents   

n.洗涤剂( detergent的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Such detergents do not yellow the wool as alkali tends to do. 这种洗涤剂不会象碱那样使羊毛发黄。 来自辞典例句
• Development of detergents has required optimization of the surfactants structure. 发展洗涤剂时，要求使用最恰当的表面活性剂结构。 来自辞典例句