雙語閱讀:香薰蠟燭實為健康殺手

終於結束了一天的奔波，你是否習慣在家裡點一支香薰蠟燭放鬆身心呢？但專家提醒，香薰蠟燭釋放的碳和金屬顆粒會增加患心肺疾病的風險。據外媒報導，一項美國的研究顯示，在室內燃燒任意種類的蠟燭都會使空氣中的汙染顆粒增加30%，而打開門窗也無濟於事。研究還稱，油炸和燒烤食物也會產生同樣的影響。

Lighting a scented candle at the end of a long day helps many of us unwind.

在漫長的一天結束時，點燃一支香薰蠟燭能幫助許多人放鬆。

But that flickering flame might not seem quite so relaxing once you know it is spreading pollution around your home.

可是，一旦你發現香薰蠟燭可能會給家裡帶來汙染，那麼這些閃爍的燭火可能就不會讓人那麼放鬆了。

Candles release carbon and metal particles which could raise the risk of heart and lung problems, a study has warned.

一項研究提醒，蠟燭釋放的碳和金屬顆粒會增加患心肺疾病的風險。

The scented candle market is worth £90million in Britain and they have become a favourite gift, used to freshen living rooms or add a gentle glow to bathtimes.

在英國，香薰蠟燭的市場價值約為9000萬英鎊（約合人民幣8億元），香薰已經成為最受歡迎的禮物，它可以讓客廳的空氣變得清新，也可以在洗澡時增添一些柔和的情調。

But the US study found burning candles of any type in the home increases particles of pollution by 30 percent – and opening doors and windows does very little to help.

但是，這項美國研究發現，在室內燃燒任意種類的蠟燭都會增加30%的汙染顆粒，而打開門窗也無濟於事。

Frying and burning food have the same effect. So lighting a scented candle after burning the dinner might only make matters worse.

油炸和燒烤食物也會產生同樣的影響。所以，做完晚飯後再點上一支香薰蠟燭只會讓屋內空氣變得更糟。

Lead author Dr Neil Klepeis, from San Diego State University, said he wants to help families reduce exposure to pollutants, especially if there are children in the house.

這份研究報告的第一作者是聖地牙哥州立大學的尼爾•克雷派斯博士，他表示，自己想幫助人們減少家中的汙染，尤其是那些家裡有孩子的家庭。

Environmental scientist Professor Barbara Maher, from the University of Lancaster, was not surprised at the US team's findings.

蘭卡斯特大學的環境科學家芭芭拉•馬赫教授對這個美國研究團隊的發現並不意外。

'My research team have directly measured the particles released by candles and found they contain carbon compounds and metals, the latter most probably from the industrial production process,' she said.

她說：「我的研究小組直接測量了蠟燭燃燒釋放的顆粒，發現其中含有碳化合物以及金屬，後者很可能來自（蠟燭的）工業生產過程。」

'This has made me change my own behaviour – I used to like to light a scented candle at home but now think it is a bad idea. We don't know exactly what harm these particles cause but they force the body to launch an inflammatory response to clear them. Indoor pollution is likely to be linked to the same health problems, from lung cancer to strokes, that we see from outdoor pollution.'

「這讓我改變了自己的行為——過去，我喜歡在家裡點一支香燻蠟燭，但是現在我發現這樣做是不對的。我們不知道這些顆粒有什麼確切的危害，但是為了清除這些顆粒，身體會產生炎症。室內汙染引發的健康問題可能和室外汙染差不多，比如肺癌、中風等。」

The US researchers scanned 300 family homes for pollution including fine particles between 0.5 and 2.5 micrometres in size – a range that includes dust, fungal spores and vehicle emissions.

來自美國的研究人員對300個家庭房屋中0.5-2.5微米的細微顆粒進行了測試，這個範圍內的細微顆粒包括灰塵、真菌孢子和機動車尾氣。

Smoking at home was found to be the major source of airborne pollution. But burning candles and frying food with oil raised levels by almost a third.

研究發現，室內吸菸是主要的空氣汙染源。而燃燒蠟燭和油炸食物將空氣中的汙染水平提高了近1/3。

Air pollution expert Professor Ian Colbeck, from the University of Essex. said he believed the risk of health problems was the same for scented and unscented candles.

埃塞克斯大學的空氣汙染專家伊恩•科爾貝克教授稱，香薰蠟燭和無味蠟燭引發健康問題的風險是相同的。

The US study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, concluded that indoor pollution was even worse for big families living in small houses.

這項美國研究已經發表在《公共科學圖書館•綜合》期刊上，該研究認為，當一大家人生活在一所小房子裡時，室內汙染甚至會更嚴重。