The deadliest thing in your kitchen - George Zaidan

翻译人员: Liwen Huang 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

Avocados may seem innocent,

牛油果可能看似无辜，

but these oblong fruits sent almost 9,000 people to US emergency rooms

但仅 2018 年，这些椭圆形的水果

in 2018 alone.

就将近 9 千人送进了美国急诊室。

Injuries sustained by hacking at the pit or slicing while holding the fruit

因去核或将鳄梨拿着切片受伤

have become so common, doctors have dubbed them avocado hand.

已变得非常常见， 医生称它们为鳄梨手。

Of course, there is a safer way to cut avocados.

当然，切鳄梨有更安全的方法。

But knives are just one of the hazards kitchens harbor.

刀具只是厨房潜藏的其中一种危险。

In the US, between 2011 and 2022,

在美国，2011 年至 2022 年之间，

the deadliest kitchen appliances were ovens and ranges—

最致命的厨房用具是烤箱和灶具——

appliances that are stoves and ovens in one.

将炉灶和烤箱合二为一的器具。

They took lives by causing fires and leaking carbon monoxide,

它们因引发火灾和 泄漏一氧化碳而夺走生命，

a gas that can cause suffocation at high concentrations.

一氧化碳是种在高浓度下 会导致窒息的气体。

These kinds of sudden, catastrophic fatalities are thankfully rare.

幸好，这些突发的灾难性死亡不常见。

But the kitchen dangers that cause the most casualties

造成最多伤亡的厨房危险实际上

may actually be less immediate and more gradual—

可能不那么直接，而是更为渐进的——

involving constant exposures, like stuff in the air we breathe.

包括持续的暴露， 比如空气中我们呼吸的东西。

Ovens and stoves remain a major culprit here.

烤箱和炉灶仍然是主要根源。

Indeed, the fourth leading cause of years of life lost globally is air pollution.

事实上，全球多年来致命的 第四大原因是空气污染。

This includes indoor air pollution, most of which comes from cooking.

这包括室内空气污染， 其中大部分来自烹饪。

Over 2 billion people cook using a solid fuel, like charcoal and wood.

超过 20 亿人使用 固体燃料做饭，如炭和柴。

As it burns, fire and oxygen can’t reach all of the fuel source,

当它燃烧时，火和氧气无法到达 所有的燃料来源，

leading to incomplete combustion.

从而导致不完全燃烧。

This produces pollutants like soot, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides,

这会产生烟灰、一氧化碳、氮氧化物

and lots of particulate matter—

和大量颗粒物质等污染物，

that is, solid and liquid particles that have become airborne

这些颗粒物质，即固体和液体颗粒，

and small enough to inhale.

通过空气传播，小到能被吸入。

A single particle can contain many different chemicals.

单个颗粒可含许多不同的化学物质。

And especially tiny particles can penetrate deep into the lungs,

特别微小的颗粒可以深深地吸入肺部，

enter the bloodstream, and irritate tissues,

进入血液，刺激组织，

cause inflammation, and bring about more systemic problems.

引起炎症，并带来更多的全身性问题。

It’s estimated that about 3 million people die prematurely each year

据估计，每年约 300 万人

from illnesses caused by burning solid fuels.

因燃烧固体燃料引起的疾病早逝。

Stoves and ovens that don’t use solid fuels produce far less pollution—

不使用固体燃料的炉灶和烤箱 产生的污染要少得多，

but still a considerable amount.

但仍然相当多。

There are two basic types: gas and electric.

有两种基本类型：用天然气和用电。

Gas stoves primarily burn methane to create an open flame for cooking.

燃气炉主要燃烧甲烷产生烹饪用明火。

Traditional electric stoves use metal elements that radiate heat

传统的电炉用金属元件，

when an electrical current is forced through them.

电流通过时，金属元件会散发热量。

They’re different from modern induction electric stoves,

它们不同于现代的电磁炉，

which use electromagnetic waves to induce currents

电磁炉用电磁波感应电流

that heat iron and steel cookware directly.

直接加热钢、铁炊具。

Gas stoves pollute more than electric ones.

燃气炉比电炉污染更大。

That's because natural gas combustion produces byproducts like carbon monoxide,

那是因为天然气燃烧会产生一氧化碳、

nitrogen oxides, and formaldehyde.

氮氧化物和甲醛等副产物。

Unravelling the causes of chronic diseases is incredibly difficult,

找出慢性病的病因非常困难，

but accumulating evidence suggests that gas stoves exacerbate asthma symptoms

但积累的证据表明， 燃气炉会加剧哮喘症状，

and put children at increased risk of developing the condition.

并增加儿童患上哮喘的风险。

Electric ranges are cleaner than gas ones,

电灶具比燃气灶具更清洁，

but they’re still not totally pollution-free— no ranges are.

但它们仍然不是完全 无污染的——没有灶具是。

At least some air pollution is inevitable from the cooking process,

烹饪过程中，至少 有些空气污染是不可避免的，

no matter the fuel type.

无论使用什么类型的燃料。

High-heat cooking generally releases more pollutants

与低温烹饪方法相比，

than lower heat methods;

高温烹饪通常会释放更多的污染物；

after all, charring a steak isn’t all that different from burning a solid fuel.

毕竟，烧焦牛排与 燃烧固体燃料没有太大区别。

And substances like oil and dust can accumulate

而且，油和灰尘等物质会积聚

and release pollutants when heated.

并在加热时释放污染物。

Transitioning away from solid fuels is critical to improving indoor air quality—

摒弃固体燃料对 改善室内空气质量至关重要，

and consequently, extending people’s lives.

从而延长人们的寿命。

Cooking with proper ventilation—

在适当的通风条件下烹饪——

ideally, from a powerful range hood that vents to the outdoors—

理想情况是，由大功率抽油烟机 向室外排放——

and switching from gas to electric will also go a long way.

此外将燃气换成电也会大有帮助。

Electric appliances are less dangerous by another significant metric:

电器根据另一个重要的衡量标准：

the global climate.

全球气候来看更安全。

Burning fossil fuels like natural gas

燃烧天然气等化石燃料会

releases atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide,

释放出让大气变暖的二氧化碳，

and gas ranges can also leak methane, an even more potent greenhouse gas.

燃气灶具还会泄漏甲烷， 一种更强的温室气体。

Electric appliances, meanwhile,

与此同时，

should only become more and more climate-compatible

只有电网向可再生能源过渡，

as grids transition to renewable energy sources.

电器才能变得与气候越来越兼容。

In addition to being better for the climate and public health,

除了对气候和公共健康更有益，

electric induction stoves tend to rival or outperform all other stove types—

电磁炉在烹饪效率和方便清洁方面往往 比得上或优于所有其它类型的炉灶——

electric and gas— when it comes to cooking efficiency and ease of cleaning.

电炉和燃气炉。

Induction stovetops also only heat things

而且电磁炉盘只能加热

that respond strongly to their magnetic fields,

对电磁炉磁场反应强烈的东西，

so you can’t burn yourself on them directly.

因此你不可能直接被炉盘烧伤。

Given the considerable health and climate concerns around gas appliances,

鉴于燃气用具存在 严重的健康和气候问题，

some governments have banned them from new developments

一些政府已禁止其进行新的开发,

and many are helping subsidize the transition from gas to electric.

许多政府正在资助从天然气向电过渡。

Knives will probably be staying the same, though,

不过，刀具可能还是老样子，

so please stop stabbing at avocados while they’re in your hand.

所以请停止戳向握在手中的鳄梨。