瓶裝水可能含有非常小的塑料顆粒

A lot of bottled water contains tiny bits of plastic, known as microplastics, according to research conducted by a non-profit journalism organization called Orb Media.

非盈利新聞機構Orb Media開展的研究表明：很多瓶裝水都含有微小顆粒，也就是微塑料。

The research, conducted at the State University of New York, took in more than 250 bottles from 11 different brands, sold across nine countries. "A few" of the bottles effectively contained no plastic, while others had thousands. None of the brands came out entirely unscathed.

這項研究在紐約州立大學展開，研究了在9個國家售賣的11個不同品牌的250個瓶子。"少許"瓶子不含塑料，而剩餘瓶子含有上千顆微塑料。這些品牌的瓶子都含有微塑料。

Two of the bottled water manufacturers cited in the study-Nestle and Gerolsteiner-disputed Orb Media's results, saying they found much lower quantities of microplastics in their water. A bottle of Nestle Pure Life water showed the highest levels in Orb Media's study, with 10,390 particles per liter.

研究引用的兩個瓶裝水製造商--雀巢和Gerolsteiner--對Orb Media的研究結果提出異議，說他們發現在他們生產的瓶裝水中，微塑料數量要少得多。但在Orb Media的研究中，雀巢Pure Life瓶裝水含有的微塑料數量最多，每升含10390顆粒。

And don't think the problem only applies to plastic bottles. "The study mostly focused on plastic bottles, but one batch of glass ones were checked for comparison. It turns out that the glass ones have microplastics too," Andrew Mayes, the University of East Anglia biochemistry lecturer who developed the particle-spotting technique used in this research, told Fortune.

別以爲只有塑料瓶纔有這個問題。"這項研究主要集中於塑料瓶，但也檢查了一批玻璃瓶水以作爲對照組。事實證明，玻璃瓶水也含有微塑料，"安德魯·梅斯對《財富》雜誌說道。安德魯·梅斯是東英吉利大學生物化學專業講師，他開發了這項顆粒檢測技術，並將其用於此項研究。

Is this a problem? No one's really sure, because there isn't enough data on the health effects of ingesting plastic. So, in response to Orb Media's research, the World Health Organization has now told the BBC it is launching its own review into the potential risks.

這是個問題嗎？沒人能夠確定，因爲關於攝入塑料會對人體健康產生何種影響的數據並不夠多。所以，爲了迴應Orb Media的研究，世界衛生組織現在對BBC表示，他們自己正在審查微塑料的潛在危害。

Most microplastics are thought to pass through our systems, although very small particles (such as those found in the surveyed bottled water) may be absorbed into our organs, such as the liver and kidneys. That's one concern; the other is that the particles, even those we excrete, might give off toxins as they pass through us.

人們認爲大多數的微塑料能夠穿過人體系統，儘管非常小的顆粒（比如研究發現的瓶裝水中的塑料顆粒）可能會被我們的器官吸收，比如肝臟和腎臟。這是一個問題；另一個問題是顆粒，即使是排泄物的顆粒，也可能在穿過人體系統時釋放毒素。

What is undeniable is that, for many people who lack access to safe drinking water from taps, bottled water remains a necessity. Orb Media was also behind a study last year that showed tap water around the world is contaminated with microplastics. The particles have also been found in beer, honey, table salt, and of course seafood, as our oceans are increasingly polluted with plastic waste.

不可否認的是，對很多無法從水龍頭獲取安全飲用水的人來說，瓶裝水仍是必需品。去年，Orb Media也開展了一項研究，研究表明：世界各地的自來水也受到了微塑料的污染。啤酒、蜂蜜、精鹽、當然還有海鮮都被發現含有塑料顆粒，因爲我們的海洋正在遭受越來越多的塑料垃圾污染。