VOA慢速英语2019--美国饮用水被“永久性化学物质”污染

US Drinking Water Contaminated with 'Forever Chemicals'

A new report says man-made "forever chemicals" are more common in U.S. drinking water supplies than earlier estimates suggested.

An environmental group reported Wednesday that some of the highest levels were measured in three big cities. They are Miami, Florida; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and New Orleans, Louisiana.

"Forever chemicals," known as PFAS, resist breaking down in the environment. They have possible links to cancer, liver damage and other health problems.

The findings of the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, show its 2018 estimate could be far too low. That estimate suggested that 110 million Americans could be contaminated with PFAS.

"It's nearly impossible to avoid contaminated drinking water from these chemicals," said David Andrews, a scientist with the Environmental Working Group. He helped prepare the new report.

The chemicals were used in products like Teflon and Scotchguard. Their replacements¹ also could prove harmful to human health.

The EWG studied tap water from 44 areas in 31 states and Washington, D.C. Tap water is a term for water from the public water system.

Of the 44 water samples, only one area had no measurable levels of PFAS. That community was Meridian², Mississippi, which gets its drinking water from wells that are 215 meters underground.

Only Seattle, Washington and Tuscaloosa, Alabama had levels below 1 part per trillion, the limit the EWG suggests. EWG found an average of six to seven different PFAS chemical compounds at the tested sites.

The effect of these mixtures on human health is unclear.

But Andrews used negative language to describe the chemicals. "Everyone's really exposed to a toxic³ soup of these PFAS chemicals," he said.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, has known since at least 2001 about the problem of PFAS in drinking water. But the agency has yet to set a national legal limit. EPA officials said early last year they would begin the process of setting limits on two of the chemicals, PFOA and PFOS.

The EPA said it has helped state governments deal with PFAS and that it is working to set limits on the two main chemicals. But the timing⁴ for such limits remains⁵ unclear.

Words in This Story

contaminate – v. to make (something) dangerous, dirty, or impure⁶ by adding something harmful or undesirable⁷ to it – noun contamination

negative – adj. bad or disagreeable; lacking good qualities

toxic – adj. containing poisonous substances

soup – n. a liquid food that often contains pieces of solid food

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1 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

2 meridian   

adj.子午线的；全盛期的

参考例句：

• All places on the same meridian have the same longitude.在同一子午线上的地方都有相同的经度。
• He is now at the meridian of his intellectual power.他现在正值智力全盛期。

3 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

4 timing   

n.时间安排，时间选择

参考例句：

• The timing of the meeting is not convenient.会议的时间安排不合适。
• The timing of our statement is very opportune.我们发表声明选择的时机很恰当。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 impure   

adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的

参考例句：

• The air of a big city is often impure.大城市的空气往往是污浊的。
• Impure drinking water is a cause of disease.不洁的饮用水是引发疾病的一个原因。

7 undesirable   

adj.不受欢迎的，不良的，不合意的，讨厌的；n.不受欢迎的人，不良分子

参考例句：

• They are the undesirable elements among the employees.他们是雇员中的不良分子。
• Certain chemicals can induce undesirable changes in the nervous system.有些化学物质能在神经系统中引起不良变化。