工作状态不佳？都怪二氧化碳

 　　You might think it's your colleagues or the pressures of work that's getting you down at the office, but new research suggests it could well be the air you're breathing instead. Scientists in the US have found that the concentration of carbon dioxide inside the confined spaces we use every day could be high enough to damage our health.

　　你也许会认为是你的同事或者是工作压力让你在办公室里萎靡不振，但是新的研究说明可能只是办公室里的空气在作祟。美国的科学家发现我们每天所处的密闭空间中的高浓度二氧化碳会损害我们的健康。

　　Of course, it's well established that high levels of CO2 are dangerous, not just for human beings but for the planet as a whole, but the new research raises questions about carbon dioxide concentrations that were previously¹ considered harmless.

　　当然，地球人都知道二氧化碳浓度过高是危险的，不仅对人是这样，对地球也是如此。但是新的研究提出了这样一个问题，那就是之前被人们当作人畜无害的办公室二氧化碳的浓度问题。

　　工作状态不佳？都怪二氧化碳

　　The researchers gathered together 24 volunteers and tested their performance in three different simulated office environments. The key metric here is parts-per-million (ppm) of CO2: 5,000 ppm is currently considered the safe limit for an 8-hour workday, while 90,000 ppm will kill you within 5 minutes.

　　研究者们找来了24名志愿者，把他们分在三个不同的模拟环境下测试他们的反应。这里有个关键的标准，那就是对于8小时工作而言，5000 ppm的二氧化碳目前被人认是安全标准，如果是90000 ppm，那么你5分钟内就会死。

　　The team experimented with three different levels over the course of a standard 9-to-5 routine: 550 ppm (similar to outdoor levels), 945 ppm (what you would expect in most offices) and 1,400 ppm (denser but still plausible² for many offices).

　　团队按照标准的朝九晚五工作时间准备了三个不同级别的环境：550 ppm(跟室外的浓度差不多)，945 ppm(跟大多数办公室差不多)，和1400 ppm(更浓，但是相当多的办公室都是这样)。

　　By giving the participants a cognitive³ test at the end of the day, they were able to spot a clear trend between CO2 levels and brain function. Those working with 945 ppm of carbon dioxide in the air averaged scores that were 15 percent lower than those in a 550 pm room. The unfortunate workers who had to handle levels of 1,440 ppm, meanwhile, performed 50 percent worse than the 550 ppm group. People's ability to use information, respond to a crisis and strategise were hit particularly hard, the researchers said.

　　在一天结束后，参与者要进行认知测验。在测验中，不同的二氧化碳浓度对大脑功能产生了明显的影响。在二氧化碳浓度为945 ppm环境中工作的人的平均分比550 ppm的要低15%。那些不幸呼吸着1440 ppm的家伙的平均分只有550 ppm的50%。研究者们说，尤其是使用信息，应对危机和策略分析的能力被极大影响了。

　　Indoor concentrations are affected⁴ by many different factors: not just the ventilation installed inside the building and how many windows are open, but also the number of people in the room - because we breath out carbon dioxide - and even how much CO2 is floating around in the neighbouring streets.

　　有很多因素可以影响室内二氧化碳浓度：除了建筑内的通风设备，打开的窗户数量，还有房间里的人数——因为我们都在呼出二氧化碳——甚至在周围街区的二氧化碳含量。

　　The researchers, from Harvard and Syracuse University, say carbon dioxide should be considered direct pollutant⁵ and not just a marker for other pollutants⁶, plus more research is now required to see how even low levels of CO2 can impair⁷ brain function.

　　来自哈佛大学和锡拉丘兹大学的研究者们说，二氧化碳应该被当做直接污染物，而不仅仅是其他污染物的标记。他们还认为需要进行更多的实验来测试低浓度的二氧化碳对大脑功能的伤害。

　　"These exposures should be investigated in other indoor environments, such as homes, schools and airplanes, where decrements in cognitive function and decision-making could have significant impacts on productivity, learning and safety," concludes the report, published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

　　发表在《环境健康展望》杂志上的这篇报告在结论中写道：“这些实验还应该在其他室内环境内进行，比如家里，学校和飞机上，这些地方我们的大脑功能和决策能力的衰减会严重影响生产力，学习能力和安全。”

　　In the meantime, you might want to ask your boss if you can open up a window.

　　同时，你也许该跟领导请示下能不能打开窗户了。

 

1 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

2 plausible   

adj.似真实的，似乎有理的，似乎可信的

参考例句：

• His story sounded plausible.他说的那番话似乎是真实的。
• Her story sounded perfectly plausible.她的说辞听起来言之有理。

3 cognitive   

adj.认知的，认识的，有感知的

参考例句：

• As children grow older,their cognitive processes become sharper.孩子们越长越大，他们的认知过程变得更为敏锐。
• The cognitive psychologist is like the tinker who wants to know how a clock works.认知心理学者倒很像一个需要通晓钟表如何运转的钟表修理匠。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 pollutant   

n.污染物质，散布污染物质者

参考例句：

• Coal itself is a heavy pollutant.煤本身就是一种严重的污染物。
• Carbon dioxide may not be a typical air pollutant.二氧化碳可能不是一种典型的污染物。

6 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

7 impair   

v.损害，损伤；削弱，减少

参考例句：

• Loud noise can impair your hearing.巨大的噪音有损听觉。
• It can not impair the intellectual vigor of the young.这不能磨灭青年人思想活力。