美国国家公共电台 NPR Are There Risks From Secondhand Marijuana Smoke? Early Science Says Yes

 

DAVID GREENE, HOST:

And let's stay here in California, which is one of more than 20 states where marijuana is legal in some form, which, of course, means people can be exposed to marijuana on the street. So what about secondhand smoke? Is that a concern? Reporter Marissa Ortega-Welch asked a California scientist who's looking at this closely.

MARISSA ORTEGA-WELCH, BYLINE¹: It happened a few years ago in the middle of a Paul McCartney concert in San Francisco even before recreational pot was legal in California. Matthew Springer, who directs a research lab at UC San Francisco, had a scientific epiphany.

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LIVE AND LET DIE")

PAUL MCCARTNEY: (Singing) Live and let die...

MATTHEW SPRINGER: About halfway² through the concerts, people in front of me started lighting³ up. And for a few naive⁴ split seconds, I was thinking to myself, hey, they can't smoke in the AT&T Park. I'm sure that's not allowed. And then I realized that it was all marijuana.

ORTEGA-WELCH: A visible haze⁵ rose over the audience.

SPRINGER: Paul McCartney actually stops between numbers and sniffed⁶ the air and said, there's something in the air. It must be San Francisco.

ORTEGA-WELCH: Springer got to thinking. San Franciscans would never tolerate cigarette smoke like that anymore. Why were they OK with pot smoke?

SPRINGER: Well, I guess it's because they assumed that, unlike the tobacco smoke, that the stuff was not harmful.

ORTEGA-WELCH: Springer was already researching the effects of secondhand tobacco smoke. He was running tests on rats using cigarettes. Maybe he could do the same thing with joints⁸.

SPRINGER: By the time I left the concert, I was resolved to at least try to make this happen.

ORTEGA-WELCH: He knew it would be hard. Since pot is still illegal under federal law, Springer had to buy specially⁹ approved government cannabis. And he can't test it on humans. So he went back to the rats. In the lab, Springer puts a cigarette or joint⁷ in a plexiglass box. Then he lights it, and the chamber¹⁰ fills with smoke.

SPRINGER: And then a sleeping rat - you know, they're asleep. They're anesthetized. So they're inhaling¹¹ the smoke.

ORTEGA-WELCH: Secondhand tobacco smoke makes it harder for the rats' arteries¹² to expand and allow a healthy flow of blood. This effect last about 30 minutes. But if it happens over and over, the artery¹³ walls can become permanently¹⁴ damaged. And that can cause blood clots¹⁵, heart attack or stroke. Springer discovered that the exact same thing happens with secondhand smoke from pot. And the arteries take an hour longer to recover. Pot can also contain leftover¹⁶ pesticides¹⁷ and solvents¹⁸, as well as mold, heavy metals and even salmonella.

SPRINGER: People think cannabis is fine because it's natural. I hear this a lot. I don't know what it means. OK. It doesn't have as many chemical additives¹⁹.

ORTEGA-WELCH: Even if the pot's clean, you're still inhaling smoke. And smoke itself is bad for your lungs. Certainly, living with a smoker²⁰ is worse for your health than just going to a smoky concert. But Springer says the less you can breathe in any kind of smoke, the better.

SPRINGER: People should think of this not as an anti-THC conclusion but an anti-smoke conclusion.

ORTEGA-WELCH: Even vaping devices release a cloud of chemicals. Springer is studying the health effects of those, too. Some health advocates advise caution. Cynthia Hallett leads Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights in Berkeley. She says people need to recognize secondhand pot smoke can be harmful just like tobacco smoke.

CYNTHIA HALLETT: We have to go back to where we were in the early '70s and '80s. And just remember, it's OK. And it is still polite for you to say, would you mind not smoking around me? It's bothering me.

ORTEGA-WELCH: As more and more states legalize pot, we'll have to figure out the etiquette²¹ for how to deal with it. For NPR News, I'm Marissa Ortega-Welch in San Francisco.

(SOUNDBITE OF TRACE BUNDY'S "CLOUD FOREST")

GREENE: Stories you just heard on secondhand pot smoke and postpartum depression are part of a reporting partnership²² with local member stations and Kaiser Health News.

1 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

2 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

3 lighting   

n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光

参考例句：

• The gas lamp gradually lost ground to electric lighting.煤气灯逐渐为电灯所代替。
• The lighting in that restaurant is soft and romantic.那个餐馆照明柔和而且浪漫。

4 naive   

adj.幼稚的，轻信的；天真的

参考例句：

• It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致，你未免太单纯了。
• Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。

5 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

6 sniffed   

v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说

参考例句：

• When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

8 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

9 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

10 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

11 inhaling   

v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was treated for the effects of inhaling smoke. 他因吸入烟尘而接受治疗。 来自辞典例句
• The long-term effects of inhaling contaminated air is unknown. 长期吸入被污染空气的影响还无从知晓。 来自互联网

12 arteries   

n.动脉( artery的名词复数 )；干线，要道

参考例句：

• Even grafting new blood vessels in place of the diseased coronary arteries has been tried. 甚至移植新血管代替不健康的冠状动脉的方法都已经试过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is the place where the three main arteries of West London traffic met. 这就是伦敦西部三条主要交通干线的交汇处。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

14 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

15 clots   

n.凝块( clot的名词复数 )；血块；蠢人；傻瓜v.凝固( clot的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• When you cut yourself, blood clots and forms a scab. 你割破了，血会凝固、结痂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Milk clots when it turns sour. 奶变酸就凝块。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

16 leftover   

n.剩货，残留物，剩饭；adj.残余的

参考例句：

• These narrow roads are a leftover from the days of horse-drawn carriages.这些小道是从马车时代沿用下来的。
• Wonder if that bakery lets us take leftover home.不知道那家糕饼店会不会让我们把卖剩的带回家。

17 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 solvents   

溶解的，溶剂

参考例句：

• It is resistant to borohydride reduction in alcoholic solvents. 在醇溶剂中，它不能被硼氢化物还原。
• Strains require special treatments for removal such as spotting with organic solvents. 要清除这些着色物质，需要特殊处理，例如：滴加有机溶剂。

19 additives   

n.添加剂( additive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• chemical additives in petrol 汽油中的化学添加剂
• It'says on the packet that these crisps contain no additives. 包装上说这些炸薯片不含添加剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 smoker   

n.吸烟者，吸烟车厢，吸烟室

参考例句：

• His wife dislikes him to be a smoker.他妻子不喜欢他当烟民。
• He is a moderate smoker.他是一个有节制的烟民。

21 etiquette   

n.礼仪，礼节；规矩

参考例句：

• The rules of etiquette are not so strict nowadays.如今的礼仪规则已不那么严格了。
• According to etiquette,you should stand up to meet a guest.按照礼节你应该站起来接待客人。

22 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。