VOA慢速英语--美国卫生官员敦促人们停止使用电子烟

US Health Officials Urge People to Stop Using E-cigarettes

United States health officials are urging people to stop using electronic cigarettes, known as e-cigarettes. The call to action came after such products were linked to health problems. Five deaths have also been reported.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, said on Friday that officials are investigating severe pulmonary disease cases linked to e-cigarette use. Pulmonary disease is a condition that restricts the flow of air to the lungs.

As of September 6, CDC officials had received reports of over 450 possible cases of lung disease tied to e-cigarette use from 33 states and one U.S. territory. The deaths were reported in California, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Oregon.

E-cigarettes are a popular substitute for smoking products. The electronic devices heat liquid into vapor¹ -- very small particles that users inhale². Many users vape with a liquid that includes flavoring, nicotine³ and other chemicals. Nicotine is found in many plants, including tobacco.

E-cigarettes or similar devices also can provide THC or other substances to users. THC is the natural chemical present in marijuana plants that gives users the mental state known as a “high.”

Vaping products are said to be safer than normal cigarettes because they do not create the cancer-causing byproducts of burning tobacco.

Yet health officials say e-cigarette users have reported shortness of breath and other breathing problems, such as coughing and chest pain. Some have been sick to the stomach, felt very tired, suffered weight loss or developed high body temperatures.

In a statement, the CDC said, “the investigation⁴ has not identified any specific substance or e-cigarette product that is linked to all cases.” However, many patients have reported using e-cigarettes that contain the chemical tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC.

THC-based vape pens are considered illegal under U.S. federal law, but they are legal in some states.

In New York, health officials are investigating a substance called Vitamin E acetate. It was found in 13 e-cigarettes collected from eight patients. Vitamin E acetate has been used to thicken marijuana vape juice. The mixture is considered dangerous if heated and inhaled⁵.

Also on Friday, The New England Journal of Medicine published reports on e-cigarette-related illnesses in three states: Illinois, Wisconsin and Utah.

One report noted⁶ that most of the 53 illnesses reported in Illinois and Wisconsin were related to THC vaping products. But nearly 20 percent of the patients inhaled substances like nicotine from e-cigarettes. Most of the reported cases were of young men.

The report found that, “Since no single product or substance has been associated with the illness, persons should consider not using e-cigarettes while this investigation is ongoing⁷.”

Doctor David Christiani is with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Massachusetts. He noted, “Although more investigation is needed to determine the vaping agent or agents responsible, there is clearly an epidemic⁸ that begs for an urgent response.”

Increased use of e-cigarettes

Reports of health problems appear to have increased quickly over the past month. Just a week earlier, the CDC reported the number of possible cases at 215.

With the latest increase, the CDC’s Dana Meaney-Delman told reporters, “We’re all wondering if this is new or just newly recognized.”

A health official from Illinois told the Associated Press she did not know when such illnesses first began. But she added there has been a marked increase since last spring.

Last November, the CDC reported that “e-cigarette use increased considerably⁹ among U.S. middle and high school students during 2017–2018.” Among high school students, it found e-cigarette use rose from 220,000 students in 2011 to 3.05 million in 2018.

Last week, Michigan became the first state to ban the sale of vaping products for six months. Governor Gretchen Whitmer told MSNBC, “As governor, I’m going to do it unilaterally until I can get the legislature to adopt a statute¹⁰ and write it into law.”

She added, “This is too important.”

On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration, or FDA gave a warning to JUUL Labs, maker¹¹ of the best-selling e-cigarettes. The FDA accused the company of illegally marketing¹² its products as being "safer than cigarettes" without the agency's approval.

In a statement, the FDA's acting¹³ commissioner¹⁴ said that, “JUUL has ignored the law, and very concerningly, has made some of these statements in school to our nation’s youth.”

A JUUL spokesman said the company is studying the FDA’s comments and “will fully¹⁵ cooperate.”

I'm Alice Bryant.

And I'm Bryan Lynn.

Words in This Story

substitute - n. a person or a thing that takes the place of someone or something else

inhale - v. to breathe in

flavoring - n. a substance that is added to food or drink to give it a desired taste

vape pen - n. a device -- similar to an e-cigarette -- used to vaporize substances for inhalation

epidemic - n. an occurrence in which a disease spreads very quickly and affects a large number of people

unilaterally - adj. involving only one (person, group or country)

statute - n. a written law that is formally created by a government

1 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

2 inhale   

v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟)

参考例句：

• Don't inhale dust into your lung.别把灰尘吸进肺里。
• They are pleased to not inhale second hand smoke.他们很高兴他们再也不会吸到二手烟了。

3 nicotine   

n.(化)尼古丁，烟碱

参考例句：

• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。
• Many smokers who are chemically addicted to nicotine cannot cut down easily.许多有尼古丁瘾的抽烟人不容易把烟戒掉。

4 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

5 inhaled   

v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. 她合上双眼，深深吸了一口气。
• Janet inhaled sharply when she saw him. 珍妮特看到他时猛地吸了口气。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

8 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

9 considerably   

adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上

参考例句：

• The economic situation has changed considerably.经济形势已发生了相当大的变化。
• The gap has narrowed considerably.分歧大大缩小了。

10 statute   

n.成文法，法令，法规；章程，规则，条例

参考例句：

• Protection for the consumer is laid down by statute.保障消费者利益已在法令里作了规定。
• The next section will consider this environmental statute in detail.下一部分将详细论述环境法令的问题。

11 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

12 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

13 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

14 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

15 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。