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A lot of bottled water contains tiny bits of plastic, known as microplastics, according to research conducted by a non-profit journalism organization called Orb Media.
非盈利新闻机构Orb Media开展的研究表明：很多瓶装水都含有微小颗粒，也就是微塑料。
The research, conducted at the State University of New York, took in more than 250 bottles from 11 different brands, sold across nine countries. "A few" of the bottles effectively contained no plastic, while others had thousands. None of the brands came out entirely unscathed.
这项研究在纽约州立大学展开，研究了在9个国家售卖的11个不同品牌的250个瓶子。"少许"瓶子不含塑料，而剩余瓶子含有上千颗微塑料。这些品牌的瓶子都含有微塑料。
Two of the bottled water manufacturers cited in the study-Nestle and Gerolsteiner-disputed Orb Media's results, saying they found much lower quantities of microplastics in their water. A bottle of Nestle Pure Life water showed the highest levels in Orb Media's study, with 10,390 particles per liter.
研究引用的两个瓶装水制造商--雀巢和Gerolsteiner--对Orb Media的研究结果提出异议，说他们发现在他们生产的瓶装水中，微塑料数量要少得多。但在Orb Media的研究中，雀巢Pure Life瓶装水含有的微塑料数量最多，每升含10390颗粒。
And don't think the problem only applies to plastic bottles. "The study mostly focused on plastic bottles, but one batch of glass ones were checked for comparison. It turns out that the glass ones have microplastics too," Andrew Mayes, the University of East Anglia biochemistry lecturer who developed the particle-spotting technique used in this research, told Fortune.
别以为只有塑料瓶才有这个问题。"这项研究主要集中于塑料瓶，但也检查了一批玻璃瓶水以作为对照组。事实证明，玻璃瓶水也含有微塑料，"安德鲁·梅斯对《财富》杂志说道。安德鲁·梅斯是东英吉利大学生物化学专业讲师，他开发了这项颗粒检测技术，并将其用于此项研究。
Is this a problem? No one's really sure, because there isn't enough data on the health effects of ingesting plastic. So, in response to Orb Media's research, the World Health Organization has now told the BBC it is launching its own review into the potential risks.
这是个问题吗？没人能够确定，因为关于摄入塑料会对人体健康产生何种影响的数据并不够多。所以，为了回应Orb Media的研究，世界卫生组织现在对BBC表示，他们自己正在审查微塑料的潜在危害。
Most microplastics are thought to pass through our systems, although very small particles (such as those found in the surveyed bottled water) may be absorbed into our organs, such as the liver and kidneys. That's one concern; the other is that the particles, even those we excrete, might give off toxins as they pass through us.
人们认为大多数的微塑料能够穿过人体系统，尽管非常小的颗粒（比如研究发现的瓶装水中的塑料颗粒）可能会被我们的器官吸收，比如肝脏和肾脏。这是一个问题；另一个问题是颗粒，即使是排泄物的颗粒，也可能在穿过人体系统时释放毒素。
What is undeniable is that, for many people who lack access to safe drinking water from taps, bottled water remains a necessity. Orb Media was also behind a study last year that showed tap water around the world is contaminated with microplastics. The particles have also been found in beer, honey, table salt, and of course seafood, as our oceans are increasingly polluted with plastic waste.
不可否认的是，对很多无法从水龙头获取安全饮用水的人来说，瓶装水仍是必需品。去年，Orb Media也开展了一项研究，研究表明：世界各地的自来水也受到了微塑料的污染。啤酒、蜂蜜、精盐、当然还有海鲜都被发现含有塑料颗粒，因为我们的海洋正在遭受越来越多的塑料垃圾污染。
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