VOA健康报道2023 天然气水力压裂技术对儿童健康有威胁

天然气水力压裂技术对儿童健康有威胁

Three new studies suggest links between natural gas wells and cases of cancer, asthma¹ and birth problems.

三项新的研究表明，天然气井与癌症、哮喘和出生问题之间存在联系。

Children who lived closer to natural gas wells in heavily-drilled western Pennsylvania were more likely to develop lymphoma, a rare cancer, researchers found.

研究人员发现，居住在宾夕法尼亚州西部天然气井附近的儿童更容易患上一种罕见的癌症——淋巴瘤。

Nearby residents of all ages had an increased chance of severe asthma, a lung disease, and low birth weight.

附近所有年龄段的居民患严重哮喘、肺病和低出生体重的几率都有所增加。

The University of Pittsburgh did the studies.

这些研究是由匹兹堡大学进行的。

The researchers found what they called strong connections between the gas industry activity called fracking and two health problems: asthma, and lymphoma in children.

研究人员发现，他们所谓的水力压裂法采天然气的工业活动与两种健康问题（哮喘和儿童淋巴瘤）之间存在密切联系。

Lymphoma is a type of cancer less common among children.

淋巴瘤在儿童中是一种不常见的癌症。

The researchers were unable to say whether the drilling caused the health problems.

研究人员无法确定钻探天然气是否导致了这些健康问题。

The studies were not designed to do that.

这些研究的目的并不是为了确定这一点。

Instead, the researchers looked at health records to try to find out possible connections based on how close people lived to natural gas wells.

相反，研究人员查看了健康记录，试图根据人们的居住地与天然气井之间的距离找出可能的联系。

Gas industry groups say the studies had weaknesses, and had limited data.

天然气行业组织表示，这些研究存在缺陷，且数据有限。

In the cancer study, researchers found that children who lived within 1.6 kilometers of a gas well had five to seven times the chance of developing lymphoma compared with children who lived 8 kilometers or farther from a well.

在癌症研究中，研究人员发现，与居住在离气井8公里或更远的儿童相比，居住在距气井1.6公里范围内的儿童患淋巴瘤的几率要高5到7倍。

That is equal to about 60 to 84 lymphoma cases per million children living near wells.

这相当于每100万居住在气井附近的儿童中约有60至84例淋巴瘤病例。

For kids living farther away, the number is 12 per million.

对于住得更远的孩子来说，这个数字是百万分之十二。

The researchers found that people with asthma who lived near wells were more likely to have severe reactions.

研究人员发现，住在气井附近的哮喘患者更有可能出现严重反应。

However, researchers said they found no clear connection for severe reactions during periods when crews were building, drilling and fracking the well.

然而，研究人员表示，他们没有发现这与工作人员建造、钻探和水力压裂采天然气期间产生的严重反应有明确联系。

Fracking is the process of putting liquid into the ground to extract² natural gas.

水力压裂法指的是将液体注入地下以提取天然气的过程。

The four-year, $2.5 million research project is coming to an end.

这项为期四年、耗资250万美元的研究项目即将结束。

It was established under pressure from the families of childhood cancer patients who live in the nation's largest natural gas reservoir in western Pennsylvania.

它是在儿童癌症患者家庭的压力下建立的，这些家庭住在宾夕法尼亚州西部全国最大的天然气储存地区。

A very rare form of bone cancer had been found in dozens of children and young adults in a heavily drilled area outside the city of Pittsburgh.

在匹兹堡市郊外一个密集开采地区，数十名儿童和年轻人被发现患有一种非常罕见的骨癌。

But the researchers said they found no connection between gas drilling and childhood leukemia, brain and bone cancers.

但研究人员表示，他们没有发现钻探天然气与儿童白血病、脑癌和骨癌之间的联系。

The researchers said their findings on early births and low birth weights among families living closer to gas wells were similar to the mixed results of similar studies.

研究人员表示，住在靠近气井的家庭更容易面临早产和低出生体重的风险，这与类似研究的结果相似。

But it said babies born to mothers near active wells in production were about 28 grams lighter³ on average.

研究还发现，在生产活跃的气井附近的母亲所生的婴儿平均体重轻约28克。

Edward Ketyer is a retired⁴ child doctor who sat on a board for the study.

爱德华·凯特尔是一名退休的儿科医生，他参与了这项研究。

He said he expected that the studies would be similar to other research showing the "closer you live to fracking activity, the increased risk you have of being sick with a variety of illnesses."

他说，他预计这些研究将与其他研究类似，表明“住得离水力压裂活动越近，患各种疾病的风险就越高。”

A number of states have strengthened laws around fracking and waste disposal over the past 10 years.

在过去的10年里，许多州都加强了有关水力压裂和废物处理的法律。

However, researchers have said that it is still unclear how much toxic⁵ substances the industry puts into the air, injects into the ground or produces as waste.

然而，研究人员表示，目前仍不清楚该行业向空气中排放了多少有毒物质，向地下注入了多少有毒物质，或者产生了多少废物。

Large-scale fracking the past 20 years has made the United States into a worldwide oil and gas superpower.

在过去20年里，大规模地使用水力压裂法使美国成为世界石油和天然气超级大国。

But it also brought many protests about water and air pollution, as well as diseases, in states including Texas, Colorado and Pennsylvania.

但这也在得克萨斯州、科罗拉多州和宾夕法尼亚州等州引发了许多关于水和空气污染以及疾病的抗议活动。

1 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

2 extract   

vt.取出，提取，获得，摘录；n.摘录，提出物

参考例句：

• The article was a choice extract from her writings.这篇文章是从她的著作中摘录出来的精粹。
• We can extract oil from olive.我们可以从橄榄中榨油。

3 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

4 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

5 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。