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Okay, so, it's that the properties themselves -- it sounds like they're toxic in different ways, but it's unclear whether they're just chillin' in our bodies for a long time or, you know, breathe in and breathe out, and it's not a big deal.
好吧，那么，是这些特性本身 -- 听起来它们在不同方面具有毒性，但目前还不清楚它们是否只是长期呆在我们的身体中，或者，你懂得，吸入和呼出，并没有什么大不了的。
Like, they don't -- Science hasn't yet figured that out yet. Exactly.
就像，他们不——科学还没有搞清楚这一点。是的。
So, we know that, like, having these small particles in your body is not good. It can cause localized inflammation.
所以，我们知道，比如说，身体里有这些小颗粒是不好的。它会导致局部炎症。
But how much are those chemicals contributing to bigger problems?
但是，这些化学物质对更大问题的影响有多大？
And there is some evidence -- There's evidence, for example, that people with irritable bowel syndrome have more microplastics in their digestive tract than people without.
并且有一些证据——有证据表明，例如，患有肠易激综合征的人比没有该疾病的人在消化道中有更多的微塑料。
There's evidence that people with microplastics in particular arteries can be more likely to die of heart disease.
有证据表明，特定动脉中有微塑料的人死于心脏病的可能性更高。
But scientists say, you know, these are very compelling studies, but it doesn't quite create that strong causal link that we need.
但是科学家表示，这些研究非常有说服力，但是并没有完全建立起我们所需要的那种强烈的因果关系。
So, Shannon, we've been talking about what these plastics could be doing to humans.
那么，香农，我们一直在谈论这些塑料可能对人类造成的影响。
But how do microplastics affect plants and animals?
但是微塑料如何影响动植物呢？
I'm thinking about the rest of life on this planet.
我在思考这个星球上其他的生物。
What is the impact that these microplastics have on the environment?
这些微塑料对环境有什么影响？
We have a lot of evidence from the oceans, because that's where people were first looking at microplastics, and they have found that microplastics can have extremely deleterious effect on ocean life, because those microplastics are sometimes just sitting in the bodies of these creatures.
我们有很多来自海洋的证据，因为那是人们首先关注微塑料的地方，他们发现微塑料会对海洋生物产生极其有害的影响，因为这些微塑料有时只是存在于这些生物的体内。
It can cause premature death. You know, we're talking about real threats to ecosystems that are already under threat from all sorts of different things, like climate change, event cetera.
它可能导致过早死亡。你知道，我们谈论的是对已经受到各种不同事物威胁的生态系统的真正威胁，比如气候变化等等。
I'm just stepping back and wondering, how big of a problem is this right now?
我只是退一步想，现在这个问题有多大？
Because, yes, this sounds very concerning, but, on the other hand, I think about how, like -- I don't know -- in the '80s and '90s, having Styrofoam was just very normal and that people weren't really even worried about plastics.
因为，是的，这听起来非常令人担忧，但是，另一方面，我想到了，就像——我不知道——在80年代和90年代，使用聚苯乙烯泡沫塑料是非常正常的，人们甚至并不真正担心塑料。
And it feels like maybe now there's more awareness of trying to use biodegradable materials, which maybe might be even better for us, let alone the environment. Is the situation actually better now than before?
而且感觉现在人们可能更意识到要尝试使用可生物降解的材料，这对我们来说也许更好，更不用说对环境了。现在的情况真的比以前更好吗？
Unfortunately, I would say the situation is much worse. Oh, okay. Which I'm sure is great to hear.
不幸的是，我得说情况要糟糕得多。哦，好吧。我相信听到这个消息一定很不错。
But, basically, I mean, as we talked about, the plastics are not going away.
但是，基本上，我的意思是，正如我们所讨论的，塑料不会消失。
They're just getting smaller and smaller, and we are producing more and more plastics every year.
它们正变得越来越小，而我们每年生产的塑料却越来越多。
In 1950, we were producing maybe 2 million tons of plastic.
在1950年，我们的塑料产量或许是200万吨。
Now it's like over 400 million tons every single year.
现在每年的产量超过4亿吨。
And so if you think about that, those plastics are just there in the world with us and they're staying there and infiltrating our bodies at the same time.
那么，如果你考虑一下这个问题，那些塑料就在我们的世界里，它们会一直留在那里，同时也会渗透到我们的身体里。
I think the reason that we haven't heard very much about this is because we've only really started looking for microplastics in the last 10 years.
我认为我们没有听到太多关于这个的原因是因为我们在过去的10年里才真正开始寻找微塑料。
And first, scientists were like, "Microplastics are in the ocean, they're in fish, they're in seafood."
首先，科学家们的反应是：“微塑料存在于海洋中，它们存在于鱼类中，它们存在于海鲜中。”
And then they started looking other places and they realized, "Oh, they're actually in the air. They're actually in our food and in our water. They're actually in our bodies."
然后他们开始在其他地方寻找，他们意识到，“哦，微塑料实际上在空气中，实际上在我们的食物和水中，实际上在我们的身体里。”
After the break, how you can reduce your exposure to microplastics in your daily life. We'll be right back.
休息过后，我们会谈论如何在日常生活中减少与微塑料的接触。我们马上回来。
