新奇事件簿 电子香烟的利弊（在线收听）

A group of scientists has written to the World Health Organisation (WHO) two days before World No Tobacco Day on May the 31st. The 53 scientists asked the WHO not to class e-cigarettes as a tobacco product. E-cigarettes are an aid to help people quit smoking. They do not have any tobacco inside them. Instead, they release a nicotine vapour that makes people feel like they are smoking. Many doctors say this is better for people's health than real cigarettes. The WHO wants countries to put e-cigarettes in the same category as real cigarettes. This means taxing them, banning advertising, introducing health warnings and stopping people from using them in public places.

一批科学家在世界无烟日5月31日的前两天，写信给世界卫生组织。53个科学家要求世卫组织不要将电子香烟产品列入烟草产品分类。电子烟是用来帮助人们戒烟的一种辅助工具。电子烟中并没有任何烟草成分。相反,电子烟释放尼古丁蒸汽，让人们觉得自己在吸烟。许多医生说，这比真正的香烟更有利于健康。世界卫生组织希望所有国家将电子香烟与真正的香烟归为一类。这意味着要对电子香烟进行征税，禁止其做广告,需要贴上健康警示，并阻止人们在公共场所使用电子香烟。

The group of scientists told the WHO that e-cigarettes are helping to reduce disease and deaths from smoking. The scientists said e-cigarettes are a "low-risk product" that are "part of the solution" in the fight against smoking, not part of the problem. They wrote: "These products could be among the most significant health innovations of the 21st century, perhaps saving hundreds of millions of lives. The urge to control…them as tobacco products should be resisted." However, researchers from the University of Chicago say e-cigarettes could encourage young people to smoke. They said: "It's possible that seeing e-cigarette use may promote more smoking behavior and less quitting."

这批科学家告诉世界卫生组织称，电子香烟能够减少因吸烟而导致的疾病和健康问题。科学家们说,电子烟是一种“低风险的产品”,是反对吸烟的“解决方案的一部分”,而不是问题的一部分。他们写道，这些产品可能成为21世纪最重要的健康创新产品,可能拯救成千上万的生命。他们呼吁将电子香烟作为烟草产品的决定应当被制止。然而,芝加哥大学的研究人员说,电子烟可能会鼓励年轻人吸烟。他们说，看到使用电子香烟很可能会促使更多人吸烟，而不是戒烟。