Smokeless Fuels Contain Ultrafine Particles That Get Embedded in Lungs, Study Shows
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#1
Study Reveals 'Smokeless' Fuels Release Ultrafine Particles That Penetrate Deep Into Human Lungs
研究顯示「無煙」燃料會釋放滲透進人體肺部深處的超細懸浮微粒
#2
A groundbreaking study from the University of Galway has revealed that so-called smokeless fuels, widely marketed as cleaner alternatives, actually emit alarming quantities of ultrafine particles.
高威大學的一項突破性研究揭示，所謂的無煙燃料（廣泛被推銷為更清潔的替代品）實際上會排放出驚人數量的超細顆粒物。
#3
These toxic substances are so minuscule that they can bypass the body's natural defences and become permanently embedded deep within lung tissue.
這些有毒物質極其微小，以至於它們能繞過人體的自然防禦系統，並永久嵌入肺部組織深處。
#4
The findings raise urgent questions about whether current air quality regulations adequately address the health risks posed by these products.
這些研究結果引發了緊迫的問題，即目前的空氣品質法規是否充分應對了這些產品所帶來的健康風險。
#5
Researchers made the discovery accidentally while conducting laboratory tests on traditional and modern eco-design stoves.
研究人員在對傳統和現代生態設計爐具進行實驗室測試時，意外地發現了這一點。
#6
They had initially set out to compare particle emissions from smokeless coal ovoids and olive-stone briquettes against those from conventional wood and coal.
他們最初的目的是比較無煙煤球和橄欖石煤磚的微粒排放量，並將其與傳統木材和煤炭的排放量進行對比。
#7
Although these alternative fuels did produce less visible smoke, per kilogram burned they generated between two and three times more ultrafine particles than their traditional counterparts.
雖然這些替代燃料產生的可見煙霧確實較少，但每燃燒一公斤，它們產生的超細顆粒物是傳統對應產品的兩到三倍。
#8
Professor Jurgita Ovadnevaite, from the University of Galway, emphasised that the results had taken the research team entirely by surprise.
來自高威大學的 Jurgita Ovadnevaite 教授強調，研究結果讓研究團隊感到非常意外。
#9
She cautioned that no previous investigation had considered the possibility that reduced smoke might simultaneously correspond to a surge in ultrafine particle emissions.
她警告說，先前沒有任何研究考慮過減少煙霧可能同時對應到超細顆粒物排放量激增的可能性。
#10
Had this phenomenon been identified sooner, regulations governing smokeless fuels might have been formulated differently, she argued.
她主張，如果早一點發現這種現象，監管無煙燃料的法規可能會以不同的方式制定。
#11
Doctor Chunshui Lin, who co-led the investigation, described the painstaking methodology behind the research.
共同領導這項調查的林春水博士，描述了這項研究背後艱辛的的方法論。
#12
He noted that the team had spent nearly two months burning fuel samples on a virtually daily basis to guarantee data quality and consistency.
他指出，團隊花了將近兩個月的時間，幾乎每天都在燃燒燃料樣本，以確保數據的品質與一致性。
#13
Not only did the laboratory findings prove significant, but they also prompted the researchers to re-examine prior outdoor air quality measurements taken in Dublin and the town of Birr.
實驗室的發現不僅證明具有重大意義，還促使研究人員重新檢視先前在都柏林和比爾鎮進行的室外空氣品質測量。
#14
The implications of this research extend well beyond the laboratory, as millions of households across Europe continue to rely on smokeless fuels for domestic heating.
這項研究的影響遠遠超出了實驗室的範疇，因為歐洲各地數以百萬計的家庭仍繼續依賴無煙燃料進行家庭供暖。
#15
Were policymakers to act on these findings, it is conceivable that stricter emission standards for such products would be introduced.
若決策者根據這些研究結果採取行動，可以想像，針對此類產品將會引入更嚴格的排放標準。
#16
Until then, experts urge that consumers remain informed about the potential lung health consequences of burning fuels previously deemed safe.
在那之前，專家敦促消費者應對燃燒先前被認為安全的燃料所可能導致的肺部健康後果保持知情。