The deadliest thing in your kitchen - George Zaidan

Translator: Hoi Ieng Chao Reviewer: Aubrey Cheng

Avocados may seem innocent,

牛油果可能睇起嚟無害

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

但佢哋喺2018年就令 到接近九千人入咗美國急症室

in 2018 alone.

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

由於喺切開果核或 揸住牛油果嚟切片而受傷嘅情況

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

經常發生，醫生叫呢啲傷做「牛油果手」

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

當然，有個更安全嘅方法去切牛油果

But knives are just one of the hazards kitchens harbor.

刀亦只係廚房入面其中一種危險

In the US, between 2011 and 2022,

喺美國，由2011年到2022年，

the deadliest kitchen appliances were ovens and ranges—

最致命嘅廚房電器係焗爐同爐具

appliances that are stoves and ovens in one.

呢種一體式爐具同時有爐灶同焗爐功能

They took lives by causing fires and leaking carbon monoxide,

呢啲電器因引發火災同 洩漏一氧化碳而導致死亡

a gas that can cause suffocation at high concentrations.

一氧化碳係一種喺高濃度下 會導致窒息嘅氣體

These kinds of sudden, catastrophic fatalities are thankfully rare.

呢種突發、災難性嘅 死亡事件好彩係相對少見

But the kitchen dangers that cause the most casualties

但造成最多傷亡嘅廚房危險

may actually be less immediate and more gradual—

實際上可能唔係噉直接，而係慢慢嚟

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

涉及到持續接觸， 例如呼吸到空氣入面嘅物質

Ovens and stoves remain a major culprit here.

爐灶同焗爐依然係罪魁禍首

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

事實上，導致全球人類減壽嘅 第四大原因係空氣污染

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

包括室內空氣污染，其中大部分嚟自烹飪

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

超過20億人用固體燃料 如煤炭和木材嚟煮嘢食

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

燒嗰陣，火焰同氧氣接觸唔到所有燃料

leading to incomplete combustion.

導致未完全燃燒哂

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

繼而產生煙塵、一氧化碳、 氮氧化物等污染物

and lots of particulate matter—

仲有大量嘅懸浮粒子

that is, solid and liquid particles that have become airborne

亦即固體同液體粒子 已經變成空氣中的微粒

and small enough to inhale.

仲夠哂細粒可以被吸入

A single particle can contain many different chemicals.

佢哋一粒可以含有多種不同化學物質

And especially tiny particles can penetrate deep into the lungs,

特別係非常微細嘅粒子可以深入肺部

enter the bloodstream, and irritate tissues,

進入血液系統繼而刺激組織

cause inflammation, and bring about more systemic problems.

導致發炎，引起更多會影響全身嘅問題

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

每年約有三百萬人因燃燒固體 燃料導致嘅疾病而過早死亡

from illnesses caused by burning solid fuels.

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

使用非固體燃料嘅爐灶同 焗爐產生嘅污染要少得多—

but still a considerable amount.

但仍然相當之多

There are two basic types: gas and electric.

爐具主要分兩種：氣體爐具同電爐

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

氣體爐具主要燒甲烷，產生火焰去煮嘢食

Traditional electric stoves use metal elements that radiate heat

傳統電爐使用金屬， 當電流通過就會輻射熱量

when an electrical current is forced through them.

They’re different from modern induction electric stoves,

佢地同現代嘅電磁爐唔同

which use electromagnetic waves to induce currents

後者使用電磁波嚟感應電流

that heat iron and steel cookware directly.

直接加熱鐵同鋼製嘅煲煲罉罉

Gas stoves pollute more than electric ones.

氣體爐具嘅污染程度高過電爐

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

噉樣係因為燃燒天然氣會產生一氧化碳、

nitrogen oxides, and formaldehyde.

氮氧化物和甲醛等副產品

Unravelling the causes of chronic diseases is incredibly difficult,

釐清慢性疾病嘅成因非常困難，

but accumulating evidence suggests that gas stoves exacerbate asthma symptoms

但越來越多證據表明， 氣體爐具會加劇哮喘症狀

and put children at increased risk of developing the condition.

令兒童面臨更高嘅發病風險

Electric ranges are cleaner than gas ones,

電爐比氣體爐具更乾淨

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

但佢地仍然唔係完全冇污染， 冇任何爐具係

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

無論邊種燃料， 喺煮嘢食嗰陣點都會污染空氣

no matter the fuel type.

High-heat cooking generally releases more pollutants

高溫煮食通常釋放多啲污染物

than lower heat methods;

比低溫方法更多

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

反正煎燶塊牛扒同燒固體燃料分別唔大

And substances like oil and dust can accumulate

好似油同灰塵呢類物質可以積聚

and release pollutants when heated.

一加熱就會釋放污染物

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

擺脫固體燃料對 改善室內空氣質量至關重要

and consequently, extending people’s lives.

因此，人嘅生命都得以延長

Cooking with proper ventilation—

喺有適當通風嘅地方煮嘢食

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

最理想係用強力抽油煙機將油煙排出屋外

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

而從氣體爐具轉換到電爐具 都會有很大幫助

Electric appliances are less dangerous by another significant metric:

電器喺另一個重要指標上都更安全：

the global climate.

全球氣候

Burning fossil fuels like natural gas

燃燒好似天然氣噉樣嘅化石燃料

releases atmosphere-warming carbon dioxide,

會釋放出導致氣候變暖嘅二氧化碳，

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

而氣體爐具都可能洩漏 威力更強嘅溫室氣體—甲烷

Electric appliances, meanwhile,

與此同時，

should only become more and more climate-compatible

隨住電網轉向可再生能源， 電器會越嚟越符合氣候要求

as grids transition to renewable energy sources.

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

除咗對氣候同公共健康更有利之外

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

電磁爐具往往能夠媲美或 超越其他類型嘅爐具

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

喺煮食效率同容易清潔方面

Induction stovetops also only heat things

電磁爐只會加熱

that respond strongly to their magnetic fields,

對佢磁場反應強烈的物質

so you can’t burn yourself on them directly.

因此你唔會直接焫到自己

Given the considerable health and climate concerns around gas appliances,

考慮到氣體爐具對健康同氣候造成擔憂

some governments have banned them from new developments

有啲國家已經禁止咗喺 新建項目中使用氣體爐具

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

其他就喺由氣體爐具 轉向電爐具嘅過程中提供補貼

Knives will probably be staying the same, though,

不過，刀具就唔會有太大改變

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

所以請你唔好再喺手上切牛油果喇！