《中英對照讀新聞》Why You Shouldn’t Flush Contact Lenses Down the Toilet 為什麼你不該把隱形眼鏡丟進馬桶沖掉
最新研究指出,隱形眼鏡流入污水處理廠後,會被微生物分解成塑膠微粒,對環境造成危害。(取自網路)
◎劉宜庭
Contact lenses don’t last forever, so what do you do with yours when it’s time to discard them? Scientists are hoping your answer isn’t, flush them down the toilet or toss them into the sink.
隱形眼鏡不能永久配戴,那麼你會怎麼拋棄它們?科學家們希望你的答案不是把隱形眼鏡沖進馬桶,或丟進洗手槽。
That’s because a new study finds that discarding contacts lenses in these ways may ultimately end up contributing to microplastic pollution in waterways. Microplastics measure under 0.2 inches (5 millimeters) in length — about the size of a sesame seed or smaller — and can wind up in the ocean and Great Lakes, posing a potential threat to aquatic life, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
因為一項新的研究發現,以這類方式拋棄隱形眼鏡,最終可能造成水道的塑膠微粒污染。根據美國國家海洋暨大氣總署(NOAA)說法,「塑膠微粒」的長度小於0.2吋(5公釐),等大或小於一粒芝麻,它會流入海洋及北美五大湖,對水生動物構成潛在威脅。
But what happens to these lenses when they’re swept down the drain? They end up in wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater is also mixed with a variety of bacteria, which are tasked with breaking down biological waste. This, ultimately, is what could lead to the formation of microplastics, the researchers said.
不過,這些鏡片被沖進排水系統會發生什麼事?它們最後會抵達污水處理廠。由於污水還混雜著分解生物廢料的各式微生物,研究人員說,最終可能導致塑膠微粒的生成。
新聞辭典
contact lenses:名詞,隱形眼鏡。例句:Soft contact lenses are made from gel-like, water-containing plastics.(軟性隱形眼鏡由凝膠狀的含水塑膠製成。)
microplastic:名詞,塑膠微粒、微塑膠。例句:This could be particularly dangerous for bottom feeders on the seafloor that may ingest the microplastics from the lenses.(這對海床的底食者(食物網底層攝食者)來說特別危險,牠們可能吃掉由鏡片變成的塑膠微粒。)
drain:名詞,下水道、排水系統;動詞,排水。例句:Jack lies dead in a drain.(傑克橫死在下水道。)
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