你的手机会伤害你吗？电磁污染：英语精读讲义

Electricity is all around us all the time.

电无处不在，随时都在。

It makes our lives easier, safer, more fun, and most of us never think about it.

它让我们的生活更轻松、更安全、更有趣，但我们大多数人从未想过它。

But is there such a thing as too much electricity? 語法

但是，有“电太多”这回事吗？

Could the thing that is the foundation of the modern world 習語

那个作为现代世界基石的东西，

slowly be killing us?

会不会正在慢慢杀死我们？

Before we dive deeper, 表達脈絡

在我们深入探讨之前，

let's try to understand what electricity is

让我们先来了解什么是电，

and how it affects us.

以及它是如何影响我们的。

Electricity is the movement of an electric charge.

电是电荷的运动。

This movement generates electric and magnetic fields

这种运动会产生电场和磁场，

that spread out through space and carry energy. 短語動詞

它们通过空间传播并携带能量。

We call this phenomenon electromagnetic radiation.

我们把这种现象称为电磁辐射。

Radiation is a word that makes people very nervous,

“辐射”这个词让人感到非常紧张，

but to radiate just means giving off, 短語動詞

但辐射仅仅意味着发射，

like when the radiator in your house gives off heat

就像你家里的暖气片会散发热量，

in the form of infrared radiation. 短語搭配

以红外辐射的形式。

Different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum correspond to different types of radiation, 短語搭配

电磁频谱的不同部分对应着不同类型的辐射，

and many of them are perfectly harmless.

其中许多都是完全无害的。

Some of them can be dangerous, though.

不过，有些也可能是危险的。

Radiation with very short wavelengths,

波长极短的辐射，

like UV light, X-rays, and gamma rays,

比如紫外线、X射线和伽马射线，

are strong enough to rip electrons out of their atoms, 語法

强大到足以把电子从原子中剥离出来，

which can cause burns and genetic damage.

这可能会导致烧伤和基因损伤。

This is what many people have in mind 短語搭配

这就是许多人脑海中所想的，

when they hear the term radiation.

当他们听到辐射这个词的时候。

The rest of the spectrum covers a large range of longer waves,

频谱的其余部分涵盖了大范围较长的波，

from visible light, infrared, microwaves,

从可见光、红外线、微波，

to radio waves.

到无线电波。

This is the kind of radiation that's emitted

这就是那种被发射出来的辐射，

by all sorts of human technology,

由各种人类科技、

mobile phones, Wi-Fi routers,

手机、Wi-Fi路由器、

electric power lines, and household appliances.

电力线和家用电器所发射。

This radiation doesn't disrupt molecules in our body.

这种辐射不会破坏我们体内的分子。

However, some kinds of radiation can stimulate muscles and nerves,

然而，某些辐射可以刺激肌肉和神经，

and can also make the hair on your body vibrate,

还可以让你身上的毛发震动，

which can sometimes cause a tingly feeling

这有时会引起刺痛感，

above certain threshold values.

当超过特定的阈值时。

Other kinds are useful for making dinner.

其他种类的辐射则可用于做饭。

Microwaves push the water molecules in your food around,

微波推动你食物中的水分子运动，

which warms it up. 短語動詞

从而把它加热。

This happens to us all the time.

这在我们身上也时常发生。

For example, the pleasant warmth you feel at the beach

比如，你在海滩上感受到的舒适的温暖，

is your skin heating up from exposure

就是你的皮肤因暴露在

to electromagnetic infrared radiation from the sun.

太阳的电磁红外辐射下而变热。

We are surrounded by natural and generally harmless sources of electromagnetic radiation

我们周围充满了自然的、通常无害的电磁辐射源，

all the time, and always have been. 語法

一直都是如此，过去也总是这样。

But since the Industrial Revolution, 語法

但自工业革命以来，

we have added a lot of it to our immediate environment.

我们在身边的环境中增加了很多这种辐射。

The question of whether this is actually dangerous

这到底是否危险的问题，

first got public attention when a 1979 study 短語搭配

首次引起公众关注是在1979年的一项研究，

linked leukemia to living near power lines. 短語搭配

该研究将白血病与住在电线附近联系起来。

This particular study was quickly discredited, though. 用詞

不过，这项特定研究很快就被推翻了。

The connection could not be explained,

这种联系无法被解释，

and no direct causal link was confirmed. 短語搭配

也没有直接的因果关系被证实。

But once this had been proposed, 語法

但是一旦这被提出来，

the idea persisted,

这个观念就持续存在了，

and the thousands of studies about possible dangers

数以千计关于可能危险的研究

illustrate that it's still seen as a very real threat.

表明它仍被视为一个非常真实的威胁。

A lot of people claim to be sensitive 短語搭配

很多人声称自己对

to the radiation coming from our appliances and cell phones.

家电和手机发出的辐射很敏感。

They report symptoms like headaches, nausea,

他们报告了如头痛、恶心、

skin reactions, burning eyes, or exhaustion.

皮肤反应、眼睛干涩刺痛或疲劳等症状。

But those are just effects reported on a day-to-day basis. 短語搭配

但这些只是人们日常报告的影响。

A few studies have found much more unsettling results,

一些研究发现了更令人不安的结果，

like possible connections between the side of the brain

比如大脑的某一侧

which people use when they're on their phones

也就是人们打电话时使用的那一侧，

and the appearance of brain tumors.

与脑肿瘤的出现之间可能存在联系。

The question that science is trying to answer

科学正在试图回答的问题，

is not so much about the acute effects of irradiation. 表達脈絡

并不那么关乎辐射的急性影响。

We know, for example,

例如，我们知道

that X-rays cause immediate damage to the DNA in your cells,

X射线会对你细胞内的DNA造成即时的破坏，

but that the same doesn't happen with radio waves.

但无线电波就不会发生同样的情况。

The question is rather,

真正的问题是，

is the sort of weak electromagnetic radiation

这种我们一直身处其中的

we are constantly surrounded by

微弱电磁辐射，

harmful in the long run 短語搭配

在长期来看是否有害，

as a result of some as yet unknown mechanism?

这是某种未知机制造成的吗？

Answering this question was much harder than we first thought.

回答这个问题比我们最初想的要困难得多。

There are thousands of primary sources, reports,

各种组织机构发布了数以千计的

and statements by an onslaught of different organizations. 習語

一手来源、报告和声明。

So, we read a lot for this video.

所以，为了这个视频我们阅读了大量资料。

You can take a look at our research in the video description.

你可以在视频简介里看看我们的研究。

What we found is that this debate is a good example

我们发现，这场辩论是一个很好的例子，

of how science should be communicated 表達脈絡

证明了科学应该如何被传播，

and how it shouldn't.

以及不该如何被传播。

Many of the much-cited studies that spread panic 用詞

许多被广泛引用并散播恐慌的

about electromagnetic radiation are highly controversial.

关于电磁辐射的研究都极具争议。

For example,

例如，

a series of population studies based on surveys and self-reporting. 短語搭配

一系列基于问卷调查和自我报告的人群研究。

What this means is, for example,

这意味着，例如，

asking brain tumor patients how much they think

问脑肿瘤患者他们觉得

they used their phone in the last few years.

过去几年自己用了多少次手机。

The problem is that people are unreliable.

问题是人的记忆是不可靠的。

We tend to misremember things or can be influenced easily. 短語搭配

我们容易记错事情或者很容易受影响。

On top of this, 表達脈絡

此外，

studies or media reports may be cherry-picking 習語

研究或媒体报道可能会挑拣

the findings that best suit their opinion

最符合他们观点的发现，

or make for the most exciting headline. 短語動詞

或者最能做成劲爆头条的内容。

For example,

例如，

a study looking for cancer in rats and mice

一项寻找手机辐射

from cell phone radiation.

对大鼠和小鼠致癌作用的研究。

The results seemed to show a connection, 語氣意圖

结果似乎显示出了一种联系，

but for some reason,

但出于某种原因，

only in male rats and none at all in mice.

只有在雄性大鼠中有，而在小鼠中完全没有。

But it was reported as if this study did prove 語法

但报道出来却好像这项研究证明了

that mobile phone radiation causes cancer.

手机辐射会致癌。

Unfortunately,

不幸的是，

this is the case for studies with both positive

无论是发现正向还是负向结果的研究，

and negative findings on the issue.

都是如此。

Another aspect is that the WHO did officially

另一个方面是，世卫组织确实正式地

classify radio frequency fields as possibly carcinogenic, 短語搭配

将射频电磁场归类为可能致癌的，

but what this actually means 語法

但这实际上意味着

is that there are some hints that they might cause cancer,

有一些迹象表明它们可能致癌，

but we can't prove it,

但我们无法证明它，

and that we will keep an eye out. 習語

而且我们会继续关注。

So, if we zoom out a bit, 表達脈絡

所以，如果我们退一步看，

what's the big picture?

整体情况如何？

On the whole, 表達脈絡

总体来说，

there was no consistent evidence in human studies 用詞

在人类研究中，没有一致的证据表明

that electromagnetic radiation below exposure value limits

低于暴露限值的电磁辐射

causes health problems.

会导致健康问题。

There are some statistical associations,

虽然有一些统计学上的关联，

but they're mostly weak and inconsistent.

但大多数都很微弱且不一致。

If there were any definite cause-effect relations, 語法

如果存在任何明确的因果关系，

we would know by now

我们现在早就知道了，

because of all the data we have.

因为我们有大量的数据。

So, based on the current state of science, 短語搭配

所以，基于目前的科学水平，

should you worry about the radiation

你应该担心

from your laptop or cell phone or TV?

笔记本电脑、手机或电视的辐射吗？

The answer is no, you shouldn't.

答案是，你不应该担心。

But what about the people that say it is harming them?

但那些说辐射正在伤害他们的人怎么解释呢？

Research showed they could be experiencing what's known as the nocebo effect. 文化背景

研究表明他们可能正在经历所谓的反安慰剂效应。

If you have a headache and happen to start feeling 語法

如果你头痛，碰巧在关掉笔记本电脑的时候

better right when you switch off your laptop,

开始感觉好些了，

you might see a connection between those two things.

你可能就会把这两件事联系起来。

Once you get this suspicion,

一旦你产生了这种怀疑，

the idea alone that weak radiation might harm you

单单是微弱辐射可能伤害你的这个念头

could be the very thing harming you. 語法

就可能正是伤害你的元凶。

It's easy to belittle these people. 用詞

贬低这些人很容易。

Most of them feel they're not being taken seriously, 短語搭配

他们大多数人觉得没被认真对待，

which makes the situation even worse for them.

这使他们的处境更糟。

They should get support,

他们应该得到支持，

but it's important to be aware that so far, 語法

但重要的是要意识到，到目前为止，

we have no robust evidence 短語搭配

我们没有确凿的证据表明

that electricity below safety limits

安全限制内的电

has any negative effect on humans.

对人类有任何负面影响。

In the attention economy we live in, 文化背景

在我们生活的注意力经济中，

talking about unproven dangers

谈论未经证实的危险，

can make us neglect things that we know for sure are bad for us. 講解

会让我们忽略那些我们确知有害的事情。

Just one example.

举个例子，

Outdoor air pollution is linked to 4.2 million premature deaths each year,

室外空气污染每年导致420万人过早死亡，

and is definitely something we could have a real impact on today. 短語搭配

这绝对是我们今天就能对其产生实质影响的问题。

Still, to make people feel safe and just to make sure,

不过，为了让人们感到安全，也为了以防万一，

there are several long-term studies ongoing already.

已经有几项长期的研究在进行中。

For example, the COSMOS study

例如，COSMOS研究

that will look at the possible health impacts

将探究可能的健康影响，

of cell phone use by exactly measuring frequency 語法

通过精确测量使用手机通话的频率

and duration of phone calls.

和持续时间。

But while we wait for the conclusion of these long-term studies,

但在等待这些长期研究的结论期间，

there are a lot more pressing problems to focus on. 用詞

还有很多更紧迫的问题值得关注。