Governments have agreed the first international standards limiting carcinogenic arsenic pollution in rice, a key move to protect consumers of what is a staple food for billions, the UN said.
The Codex Alimentarius Commission, the top global decision-making body for food standards, issued the decision at its annual meeting in Geneva.
“Arsenic is an environmental contaminant. It occurs naturally and is taken up by plants from the water and soil when they’re growing, in particular rice,” said World Health Organization food safety coordinator Angelika Tritscher.
Photo: AFP
照片：法新社
The commission set a maximum of 0.02 milligrammes of arsenic per kilo of polished race — the product that is traded and consumed.
Arsenic occurs in the Earth’s crust. Some of the heaviest concentrations are in Asia, where rice is a mainstay. A key problem is paddy fields irrigated with water pumped from shallow wells containing arsenic-rich sediments. Heavy rice consumption has been found to compound the impact of arsenic in drinking water.
Bangladesh has been a top concern, with tens of millions of rural dwellers exposed via wells drilled in the 1970s in “access-to-water” programmes. Parts of Cambodia, China, India and Vietnam have also been affected.
Long-term exposure can cause cancer and skin lesions, Tritscher said. It is also linked to heart disease, diabetes and damage to the nervous system and brain.
(AFP)
各國政府同意第一個限制稻米中砷污染致癌的國際標準，這是保障數十億以此為主食的消費者的關鍵行動，聯合國說。
全球食品標準最高決策機構「國際食品法典委員會」，在其日內瓦年會中發佈這項決定。
「砷是環境污染物。它自然存在，植物在生長時，從水與土壤中吸收它，特別是稻米。」世界衛生組織食品安全協調員崔徹爾說。
該委員會設定每公斤精白米，也就是拿來交易與消費的成品，砷含量以零點零二毫克為上限。
砷存在於地殼中。一些濃度最高的區域是稻米為主要作物的亞洲。從富含砷沈積物的淺井抽用水來灌溉稻田，是一個關鍵問題。已發現大量攝食稻米加重飲水中的砷污染衝擊。
孟加拉的情況最令人關切，因為數千萬農村住民透過一九七零年代「取得用水」計畫所鑽鑿的井，而暴露於砷污染。柬埔寨、中國、印度與越南部分地區也受影響。
長期暴露恐導致癌症與皮膚病變，崔徹爾說。這也和心臟病、糖尿病有關，並將損害神經系統與大腦。
（法新社／翻譯：魏國金）
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 “Any New Year’s resolutions?” he asked. Lena put her coffee down. “Yeah,” she said. “To get in shape.... round is a shape, right?” Mark chuckled. “I support this. Fully achievable. Low risk.” “Thanks,” she smiled and lovingly rubbed her round belly. “I like a resolution I can’t fail.” “Funny thing is, I was thinking about getting round too.” Lena nodded her head in approval, “You could put some meat on those skinny bones of yours.” Mark shook his head, “Not that kind of round. Wheel-of-Life round.” She raised an eyebrow.
詞法—不定詞的誤用 1. 我得記住星期五要把報告寫好。 ˇ I must remember to finish my report by Friday. χ I must remember finishing my report by Friday. 註︰remember 後面跟動名詞或不定詞表示兩種不同的概念，與 forget 相類似。 試比較下列句子： I remember meeting him somewhere.（我記得曾經在某處見過他。） I must remember to meet him at the station at six this evening. （我必須記住今晚六點得去車站接他。） He remembered turning off the light when he left the room. （他記得離開房間時曾先把燈熄了。） Remember to turn off the light when you leave the room. （記住離開房間時要把燈關了。） 2. 他提醒她做好她份內的事。 ˇ He reminded her to do her job. χ He reminded her of doing her job. 註︰remind ... of ... 後面跟動名詞，表示「使人想起做過某事」。若是「提醒某人應做某事」，應用 remind ... to do ...。試比較下列句子： He reminded me of my attending the lecture last Friday. （他讓我想起我上星期五去聽過那次演講。） He
Skating is a popular recreational and competitive activity that involves sliding over surfaces using specially designed footwear. Its origins date back over 1,000 years to Northern Europe, where people first strapped animal bones to their feet to move across frozen lakes and rivers. In the 17th century, the Dutch transformed skating into a leisure activity. They also replaced bone blades with metal, leading to the creation of modern ice skates. Today, ice skating is enjoyed as a global sport and an exciting pastime by people of all ages. Figure skating is one of the best-known and most graceful forms of skating.
對話 Dialogue 清清：最近天氣越來越冷，感覺很容易感冒，要不要一起去吃薑母鴨或是羊肉爐？ Qīngqing: Zuìjìn tiānqì yuèláiyuè lěng, gǎnjué hěn róngyì gǎnmào, yào bú yào yìqǐ qù chī jiāngmǔyā huòshì yángròulú? 華華：最近我覺得有點累，想吃薑母鴨，可是又怕一下子吃太補會上火。 Huáhua: Zuìjìn wǒ juéde yǒudiǎn lèi, xiǎng chī jiāngmǔyā, kěshì yòu pà yíxiàzi chī tài bǔ huì shànghuǒ. 清清：那我們去喝香菇雞湯吧，不太容易上火，喝了也會很暖和。 Qīngqing: Nà wǒmen qù hē xiānggū jītāng ba, bú tài róngyì shànghuǒ, hē le yě huì hěn nuǎnhuo. 華華：聽起來不錯！你們家平常冬天都吃什麼進補？ Huáhua: Tīng qǐlái búcuò! Nǐmen jiā píngcháng dōngtiān dōu chī shénme jìnbǔ? 清清：我家都煮麻油雞，吃完整個人手腳都會熱起來。我也很久沒喝香菇雞湯了，正好可以去打打牙祭。 Qīngqing: Wǒ jiā dōu zhǔ máyóujī, chī wán zhěnggè rén shǒujiǎo dōu huì rè qǐlái. Wǒ yě hěn jiǔ méi hē xiānggū jītāng le, zhènghǎo kěyǐ qù dǎ dǎ yájì. 華華：可是我最近在減肥，會不會吃得太補，肉又長回來了？ Huáhua: Kěshì wǒ zuìjìn zài jiǎnféi, huì bú
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