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如何保护自己才能降低辐射的伤害

2011-03-20来源:CRI

日本地震引起了核电站的爆炸。面对日本核反应堆爆炸引发的核泄漏,人们到底应该怎样保护自己才能将核辐射伤害降到最低,中国又会不会受到日本核泄漏的影响?

Reporter:

The Japanese government says radiation from Japan's quake-stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant has reached harmful levels. The warning comes after the plant was rocked by a third blast that appears to have damaged one of the reactors' containment systems for the first time. Now Japanese officials have extended the danger zone.

This news, however, raised much concern from Chinese people. Rumors are spreading that radioactivity may be brought to eastern China within weeks. People are beginning to fear that they may become victims of another Chernobyl-like disaster.

Since these are just rumors, how true can they be? Before we come to any conclusion, let's find out what radiation is and how it affects our bodies. Wang Dezhong is vice director of Nuclear Power Research Center at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

"When a nucleus decays, it produces radiation, including Alpha, Beta and Gamma rays. This is called nuclear radiation. When the radioactivity travels through the air and falls to earth, it may damage cells and affect our bodies' normal functions."

Sievert is the international unit to measure individual doses of radiation. In most cases, units of millisieverts and microsieverts are applied.

Professor Wang says natural radiation does exist and that we are exposed to a certain amount of radiations everyday. The average is only about 1 to 2 millisieverts a year and people are still safe as long as the radiation dosage stays under 50 millisieverts a year.

However, exposure over 100 millisieverts of radiation a year will lead to blood dysfunction, tissue necrosis and cancer, but no immediate symptom will show. A single dose of 1000 millisieverts causes temporary radiation sickness such as nausea and vomiting. And when it reaches 4000 millisievert, it's lethal.

You You is a member of the scientific public interest group Scientific Squirrel. She says that kids are extremely vulnerable to radiation.

"Nuclear radiation has a greater impacts on kids than grown-ups. According to research, the impact on a fetus is 75 times higher than grown-ups. This is because their cells are actively replicating. Damaged cell will continue to replicate, so pregnant women should be cautious. "

After Tuesday's explosions and fire, radiation dosages of up to 400 millisieverts per hour were recorded at the Fukushima Daiichi site. The news has understandably unnerved the Japanese as well as their neighbors. Will it become a Chernobyl-like disaster? You You says it's not likely.

"At Chernobyl an explosion exposed the core of the reactor to the air and sent its contents in a plume up into the atmosphere. The airflow carried radioactive particulates to some European countries. The explosions in Japan is not at the core of the reactor, but the steel and concrete containment vessels enclosing the reactors. So even if some of the radioactivity is brought to China, the amount would be too small to even notice."

You You adds that at this time of year, airflow in eastern Asia is heading southeast. That makes it even less likely to affect China. But if by any chance, the radiation crisis does fall on us, how should we protect ourselves?

You You says that protective measures also differ depending on the radioactive isotope.

"Uranium, cesium and iodine are radioactive isotopes that may be released in a nuclear leakage. I want to focus on iodine here. It has strong radiation. One effective way to avoid the harm is taking iodine tablets. The tablets fill the body up with non-radioactive iodine, which prevent it absorbing the radioactive iodine. For other radioactive nuclides, besides washing them off of our bodies, there is no other effective ways to go around it."

Other recommended protective measures include covering yourself up when going out. Wear hats, masks, gloves, glasses, and coverchief, put on rain coat and boots, just make sure to prevent exposure of your skins to air. When at home, collect your used coats and boots, and put them together in a corner as far away as possible. Take more showers and wash your hands often. Shut all your doors and windows, and block the vents. And finally, don't eat or drink contaminated food and water.

For CRI, I'm Wang Wei.