Long-term exposure to fine particles of air pollution — from cars, trucks, power plants and manufacturing facilities — is tied to an increased risk of dying from several kinds of cancer, a new study suggests.
新研究表明，長期暴露於空氣汙染微粒中，如汽車，卡車，發電廠和製造設施產生的微粒中將增高因為癌症而死亡的風險。
「Air pollution remains a clear, modifiable public health concern,」 said researcher G. Neil Thomas, a reader in epidemiology at the University of Birmingham in England.
英國伯明罕大學的研究學者G. Neil Thomas ，同時也是流行病學的審稿人說「空氣汙染仍然透明、可變的公眾健康問題。」
「Put simply, the more of these particulates there are in the air, the greater the risk of getting these cancers,」 Thomas said, although the study did not prove the particles actually cause cancer.
「簡單地說，空氣中這些粒子越多，患上這些癌症的風險就越高，」 Thomas說。儘管這項研究並沒證明粒子確實能致癌。
The study, involving more than 66,000 older residents of Hong Kong, found an increased risk of dying from cancer for even small increases in exposure to these tiny particles of air pollution, which are measured in micrograms per cubic meter (mcg/m3). For example, the overall risk of dying from cancer increased 22 percent with every additional 10 mcg/m3 of exposure, the researchers said.
這項研究調查了超過66000名年齡較大的香港居民，發現即使接觸這些微粒的機會只增加了一點點，但是死於的風險卻激增了，這些微粒根據每立方米（微克/立方米）微克測量。研究人員說，例如，每增加10微克/立方米的接觸度，死於癌症的整體風險就增加22％。
The raised risk seemed higher for some cancers than others: The additional air pollution was linked to a 42 percent rise in the risk of dying from cancer in the upper digestive tract, and a 35 percent increased risk of dying from liver, bile duct, gall bladder and pancreatic cancer, the researchers said.
對某些癌症而言則風險較其他更高：上述程度的空氣汙染，死於上消化道癌症的風險將增加42％，死於肝癌、膽管癌、膽囊癌和胰腺癌的風險將增加35％，的增加的風險，研究人員說。
Among women, the increased exposure was tied to an 80 percent heightened risk of dying from breast cancer. Among men, the higher pollution levels carried a 36 percent increased risk of dying of lung cancer, the study authors said.
女性中，增加同等程度的空氣汙染，死於乳腺癌的風險則會增加80％。 該研究的作者說，男性中，高汙染會讓死於肺癌的風險增加36％。
Although the role of air pollution in cancer is not fully understood, it could include defects in DNA repair, alterations in the immune response or inflammation that triggers the growth of new blood vessels that allow cancer to spread, Thomas said. In cancer of the digestive organs, heavy metal pollution could also affect gut bacteria and promote development of cancer, he suggested.
儘管空氣汙染在癌症中的作用目前尚不完全清楚，但會導致DNA修復的缺陷、導致免疫反應變異或炎症而觸發新血管使癌症擴散生長，Thomas說，在消化器官癌症中，重金屬汙染可能會影響腸道菌群而促發癌症發展。
The study findings were published online April 29 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
這篇研究結果在線發表在4月29日的Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention上。
The risk of death from cancer is not the only harm that air pollution has been tied to recently.
最近發現，空氣汙染的害處不僅僅只是會增大癌症死亡的風險。
A study published April 27 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives found that being exposed to just a small amount of air pollution during pregnancy may raise the risk of a complication that can cause premature birth and long-term health problems in children.
4月27日發表在 Environmental Health Perspectives上的一篇研究發現，孕婦即使只是暴露於少量的空氣汙染中，也會增加患上併發症的風險，如早產及兒童長期健康問題。
Smog 煙霧；霧霾
Boost 激增
Risk 風險
Cancer 癌症
Exposure 曝露；暴露
Fine particle 微粒
Air pollution 空氣汙染
Power plant 發電廠
Manufacture 製造
Facility 設施
Modifiable 可變的；可修改的
Epidemiology 流行病學
Resident 居民
Microgram 微克
Digestive 消化的
Tract 管；道
Liver 肝
Bile duct 膽管
Gall bladder 膽囊
Pancreatic 胰（腺）的
Alteration 改變
immune response 免疫反應
inflammation 炎症
blood vessel 血管
complication 併發症
premature birth 早產
本期：迷你數獨
每個謎題都由一個在不同位置給與提示數字的4x4或6x6網格組成。遊戲的目的是將空方格填上數字1到4（對於4x4大小的謎題）或者1到6（對於6x6的謎題），使得每一行，每一列以及每一個宮都沒有重複的數字出現。
本期難度：Diabolical
（答案見下期）
註： 數獨是一種源自 18 世紀末的瑞士數學家歐拉所創造的拉丁方塊遊戲。傳數獨源起於拉丁方陣（ Latin Square ）， 1970 年代在美國發展，改名為數字拼圖（ Number Place ）、之後流傳至日本並發揚光大，以數學智力遊戲智力拼圖遊戲發表。在 1984 年一本遊戲雜誌《パズル通信ニコリ》正式把它命名為數獨，意思是「在每一格只有一個數字」。後來一位前任香港高等法院的紐西蘭籍法官高樂德（ Wayne Gould ）在 1997 年 3 月到日本東京旅遊時，無意中發現了。他首先在英國的《泰晤士報》上發表，不久其他報紙也發表，很快便風靡全英國，之後他用了 6 年時間編寫了電腦程式，並將它放在網站上，使這個遊戲很快在全世界流行。