[E405]Traces of Pharmaceuticals Dwell in Wastewater-GrownVeggies
Traces of Pharmaceuticals Dwell in Wastewater-Grown Veggies
By Christopher Intagliata
Here's a way to fight in California: use more . The state's water board[1] , but so far, of the , only about six percent is wastewater. But in Israel[以色列], half the country's irrigation water[灌溉用水] is reclaimed water[再生水]. The question is, could pharmaceutical residues[3], found in trace amounts[微量] in wastewater, make it into veggies[蔬菜;素食]—and onto your dinner plate[餐盘;西餐用大盘]?
Israeli scientists focused on an epilepsy drug[癫痫药物] called carbamazepine[4], wastewater. They detected trace quantities[=trace amounts] in lettuce[生菜], parsley[荷兰芹,欧芹], peppers[胡椒;辣椒] and other wastewater-grown veggies. They then fed volunteers either those veggies, or organic[有机的] ones grown in freshwater. After a week, the wastewater group did indeed have significantly higher levels of the chemical in their urine[尿], compared to the freshwater group. Switching to a freshwater-grown diet quickly reversed the effect. The finding is in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.
One huge caveat[5]: the amount of the drug in the volunteers' urine was some 40,000 times lower than would be found after just one therapeutic[6] dose of the drug. And the researchers say it's unlikely that exposure to such tiny quantities poses any risk. But the result does suggest it's at least possible to ingest unwanted pharmaceuticals[药物] in your salad. Something for public health officials to investigate, as they weigh green water policy with[7] what's in our greens.
—Christopher Intagliata
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注释
[1]The California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) is one of six branches of the California Environmental Protection Agency.
[2]notorious：famous for something bad 臭名昭著的，声名狼藉的
[3]pharmaceutical：connected with the production of medicines 制药的 the pharmaceutical industry 制药业
residue：the part that is left after the main part has gone or been taken away, or a substance that remains after a chemical process such as evaporation 剩余部分；剩余物；残留物；残渣
[4]carbamazepine 立痛定；卡巴咪嗪；酰胺咪嗪；氨甲酰氮草
[5]caveat：a warning to consider something before acting further, or a statement which limits a more general statement; a proviso （进一步行动前的）警告，告诫；限制条款
[6]therapeutic：causing someone to feel happier and more relaxed or to be more healthy 治疗的；有疗效的；有益健康的
[7]weigh with 对…有重要影响,被重视;把…与…加以权衡(或比较)
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From 60-Second Science