Unit 2 Text B New Words & Expressions

So you think that by staying at home you are safe from all the terrible kinds of pollution present outdoors, such as in or near factories, roads, and garbage dumps? Do you think that by staying in your office you are breathing cleaner, safer air than when you go outside for lunch or are on the way back home from work? Think again. Recent research done at the University of Texas has shown that staying indoors may actually be more harmful to one’s health than being outdoors in smoggy cities.

Apparently, we are safe neither at home nor in the business office. We use water in both places, but the above-mentioned research shows that chemicals added to our local water supply to kill harmful bacteria can have unwanted side effects.     These chemicals can cause potential harm through drinking and in such seemingly harmless activities as cleaning one’s house.     These additives are released from water by daily actions like water running out of faucets, spraying from garden hoses, or splashing in dishwashers and washing machines. As the water is agitated, these chemicals are released into the air and then breathed in. Once inside our bodies, they start to affect our health adversely.

Does this mean we should stop bathing? No, say the scientists,  but we should put all pollution into perspective.    Activities at home such as the burning of candles and incense release a lot of things which have been proven as harmful to health as working or living near high density traffic. New rugs, bedding, and even clothing give off that “new smell”, which is a sure sign of chemicals. In the office, newly applied paint, newly purchased telephones and other telecommunications equipment, and computers and their peripherals release polluting chemicals, too. As offices and homes often have inadequate ventilation, these chemicals can build up to become health nuisances. Their toxic effects are only now being slowly recognized.

These facts suggest that, at a minimum, proper airing of newly purchased goods with an obvious chemical smell is a wise precaution.    Home and office windows should be opened during good weather to allow a flushing of stale air. Even one’s car needs to be ventilated as well as the garage.

We need further research to understand better other potential health hazards, too. For example, the effects of overcrowding of schools (carbon dioxide build up), factory work environments (an endless list of potentially dangerous substances), and even home heating and cooling (the furnace and air conditioner may be our enemies, not our fiends) have only recently started to come to light. Until we understand the effects of our new technological environment better, we can only hope that “there is no place like home”.

你是否认为，待在家里就可以摆脱户外那些诸如工厂、马路及垃圾场附近种种可怕的污染？你是否以为，你待在办公室内所呼吸的空气就比你外出吃午餐或下班回家路上呼吸的空气来得干净、安全呢？再仔细想想吧。最近德州大学所做的研究显示，即使是在烟雾弥漫的城市里，待在室内实际上比待在户外对个人健康的危害更大。

显而易见，我们在家里或办公室内都不安全。我们在这两个地方都会用水，但上面提到的研究指出，为杀死有害细菌而添加在我们当地供水系统中的化学药剂会带来不良的副作用。这些化学药剂会经由饮用以及清扫屋子等看似无害的活动而引起潜在的危害。经由水龙头流出、从花园水管喷出或是在洗碗机和洗衣机内喷溅等日常动作，这些添加物从水中被释放出来。当水被搅动时，这些化学物质就会释放到空气中然后被人体吸入。一旦进入体内，这些化学物质便开始对我们的健康产生不利的影响。

这是不是说我们就应该停止洗澡呢？科学家们说这倒不必，但我们应该考虑所有的污染。居家活动，如燃烧蜡烛和熏香，所产生的很多物质已被证实对健康的危害不亚于在交通密集地段附近工作或居住所受到的危害。新地毯、床罩甚至新衣服散发出来的那种“新味道”无疑是存在化学物质的一种迹象。在办公室里，新刷的油漆、新买的电话和其他通讯装备、计算机及其外围设备也释放出污染性的化学物质。由于办公室和住家往往通风不良，这些化学物质会愈积愈多，进而成为危害健康的物质。它们的有害影响如今才慢慢被注意到。

这些事实说明，对于新买的有明显化学味道的东西，最起码要进行适当的通风，这是明智的预防措施。天气好的时候，家里和办公室的窗户应该打开，让污浊的空气能流通出去，甚至汽车和车库也需要通风。

我们还需要进一步的研究以便更好地了解其他潜在的健康危险。例如，过于拥挤的学校(形成二氧化碳累积)、工厂工作环境(数不尽的潜在危险物质)，甚至家庭的冷暖空调(暖炉和空调可能是我们的敌人，而不是朋友)等所造成的影响直到最近才开始被发现。在我们更了解新科技环境所造成的影响之前，我们只能期望“世上只有家最好”。