VOA慢速英语：美国健康报告表示电子香烟对于年轻人并不安

US Health Report: E-Cigarettes Not Safe for Young People

美国健康报告表示电子香烟对于年轻人并不安全

The United States’ top health official says electronic cigarettes can cause health problems for young people.

美国首席卫生部门表示电子香烟能导致年轻人的健康出现问题。

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released his first report on e-cigarettes this week. He called the devices a public health threat to America’s youth.

卫生局局长维伟卡·默克本周发表了他的首份关于电子香烟的报告。他称公共卫生设备威胁了美国的青年人的健康。

The surgeon general is the U.S. government’s top medical officer. He uses scientific information to give the best advice for improving health and reducing the risk of sickness and injury.

卫生局局长是美国政府的最高医药官员。他利用科学的信息在改善健康和减少疾病和伤情的风险中给出最好的建议。

Most electronic cigarettes use nicotine, a chemical found in tobacco plants, just like traditional cigarettes. But users do not light e-cigarettes because they are powered by a battery. They usually also contain flavoring and other chemicals.

大部分的电子香烟使用尼古丁，一种存在于烟草植物中的化学物，就像传统香烟一样。但是使用者不会点燃电子香烟因为他们有电池提供电源。通常他们也包含调味料和其他化学物品。

E-cigarettes have increasingly grown in popularity nationwide since 2010. Officials say the devices are now the most used tobacco product by American youth and young adults.

自2010年开始，电子香烟已经在全国范围内持续性增长，并流行。官员表示该设备目前大部分由美国青少年和年轻人使用。

In releasing the report, Surgeon General Murthy said the rising popularity of e-cigarettes is hurting past efforts to reduce tobacco use among young people.

在发布的报告中，卫生局局长默克本表示电子香烟流行的上涨性使过去几年人们对于减少年轻人使用香烟的功劳付之东流。

“It also threatens 50 years of hard-fought progress that we have made curbing obacco use. And it places a whole new generation at risk for addiction to nicotine...”

“它也威胁了近50年来，我们已经在控制香烟使用量上取得的艰难进展。并且它也让全新的一代被尼古丁成瘾的风险所摆布。”

He also said the new report is meant to help families and communities understand the scientific reasons why e-cigarettes are harmful.

他也表示新的报告旨在帮助家庭成员和社会团体了解为什么电子香烟是有害的科学原因。

“The message from the report is clear. Nicotine-containing products in any form, including e-cigarettes, are not safe for youth.”

报告中的信息是显而易见的。尼古丁-以任何形成包含的商品，包括电子香烟，对于青少年来说都是不安全的。

The Surgeon General’s report notes that nicotine is a highly addictive chemical. Users can develop a dependence on the drug.

卫生局局长的报告指出尼古丁是一种高度成瘾的化学物品。使用者能够对其形成依赖。

The report says nicotine can harm brain development in teenagers and young adults. Murthy said those harmful effects can include deficits in attention and learning, reduced impulse control, and mood disorders.

该报告表示尼古丁能够伤害青少年和青年人的大脑发育。默克本表示这些危害的影响包括专注力和学习能力下降、容易冲动和情绪异常。

The report notes research showing that young people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to use traditional cigarettes. It also found that chemicals sent into the air by e-cigarettes can harm the users and people around them.

报告指出研究表明使用电子香烟的年轻人更多的愿意使用传统香烟。同样电子香烟产生的化学物质进入空气中也能够伤害使用者和周围的人群。

Supporters of e-cigarette use have suggested that the devices can help smokers of traditional cigarettes cut back or even stop smoking. But Murthy said there is no evidence to back up this claim. He said millions more children are now being exposed to nicotine through e-cigarettes.

电子香烟使用者的支持者已经证明了该设备能够帮助传统烟民减少吸烟甚至是戒烟。但是默克本表示没有任何证据去支持该声明。他表示数以百万计的儿童正在通过电子香烟接触尼古丁。

Murthy noted that he is keeping “an open mind” to see if future evidence proves that e-cigarettes can help adults stop smoking.

默克本指出：他仍然坚持以“开放的思想”去看待未来是否有更多的证据证明电子香烟能够帮助成年人戒烟。

The report calls for restrictions on the amount of advertising used in e-cigarette ad campaigns. It also urges national educational programs to inform young people about the risks of the devices. The surgeon general said U.S. officials need to act now to help create a healthy, tobacco-free generation.

该报告呼吁限制电子香烟的广告总量。同样也呼吁国家教育项目告知年轻人关于该设备的危害。卫生局局长表示美国官员需要以实际行动去帮助创造健康的无烟一代。

In a public service video message, Murthy gives a strong warning to parents. “You’re kids are not an experiment. Protect them from e-cigarettes.”

在公共服务信息的视频中，默克本给父母强有力的警告：“你的孩子不是一个实验。保护他们远离电子烟。”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

布莱恩·林恩报道。