Text A Air and Health

1. There is accumulating evidence that air pollution is producing harmful effects in man. Many studies reveal that air pollution may cause reduced visibility, eye irritation, and respiratory irritation. Some medi­cal studies link air pollution with lung cancer, emphysema and other diseases.

2. The severity of symptoms of illness increases proportionately with concentration of pollutants in the air. The first effects of air pollutants are likely to lead to discomfort. Though not associated with the devel­opment of disease, even in sensitive groups, these effects are capable of disturbing the comfort of the population in residential or industrial ar­eas. This level is the one at which eye irritation occurs. Also in this category are levels of pollutants that damage vegetation and reduce vis­ibility. A more serious level of pollutants, or possibly combination of pollutants, is likely to lead to insidious or chronic diseases or to signif­icant alteration of important physiological function in a «sensitive group» such as the aged or sufferers from chronic respiratory or heart disease.

204 <♦• Learning to Understand a Medical Text

Pollution would not necessarily be a risk for persons in good health. But under conditons of intense pollution, this «sensitive group» may die.

3. Three episodes of acute air pollution have been characterized by sudden death. These tragedies occurred in Belgium's Meuse Valley in 1930, in Donora, Pennsylvania, in 1947, and in London in 1952. In each case a heavy fog settled over the area and did not lift; in each case the phenomenon was produced by a temperature inversion or a layer of warm air over a layer of cold air, and in each case there was a heavy concentration of smoke and pollutants.

4. During these periods, 63 deaths in Meuse Valley, 20 deaths in Do­nora, and 3.000 deaths in London were attributed to air pollution. Most of those who died were elderly people already suffering from diseases of the respiratory or circulatory systems. This disaster in London was a ma­jor factor in hastening the Clean Air Act of 1956. The emission of dark smoke from industrial chimneys was prohibited for the whole country.

5. Three general types of substances are known to pollute the atmo­spheres of all industrial environments: chemical, radioactive and bio­logical. Chemical pollutants are the major concern because of expand­ing industrial, automobile and domestic wastes. However, radioactive pollutants add to the total radiation exposure in both urban and rural air. Biological dusts and pollens likewise may cause effects, especially in persons who react to them with hay fever, asthma, and other allergies.

Упражнение 5. Просмотрите текст А еще раз и назовите факторы, способствующие загрязнению воздуха.

Упражнение 6. Найдите в тексте А ответы на следующие вопросы и зачи­тайте их.

1. What effect is air pollution producing in man? 2. What are the first effects of air pollution? 3. Who were the victims of three episodes in Meuse Valley, Donora and London? 4. What did the Clean Air Act prohibit? 5. What substances are known to pollute the atmospheres of industrual environments?

Упражнение 7. Составьте письменно план текста А.

Упражнение 8. Спишите и переведите абзац 2 текста А.

Упражнение 9. Прочтите приведенные аннотации. Скажите, какая из них передает содержание текста наиболее адекватно и более отвечает требо­ваниям, предъявляемым к аннотации.

Lesson 20 4- 205

Air pollution depending on its-concentration and the level of pollut­ants cause conditions of different severity and even death in the «sensi­tive group».

Episodes of acute air pollution took place in different countries in 1930, 1947, 1952.

Chemical, radioactive and biological substances are known to pollute (he atmosphere.

Air pollution produces harmful effects in man: reduced visibility, eye and respiratory irritation, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

The severity of symptoms increases proportionately with concentra­tion of pollution.

A serious level of pollutants or combination of them is likely to lead insidious or chronic diseases or to alteration of physiological functions and even death in elderly people or sufferers from chronic respiratory or heart diseases.

The episodes of acute pollution occurred in Belgium, Pennsylvania and London in 1930, 1947 and 1952 correspondingly.

Three types of air pollutants are known. They are chemical, radioac­tive and biological ones.

Упражнение 10. Прочтите и переведите текст. Определите функции ing- форм.

In October 1948, the small town of Donora, Pennsylvania, was struck by a fog disaster. The town is located on the Monongahela river. On both sides of the river are hills rising about 400 to 600 feet with farmland and woods stretching in all directions. The area immediately along the river bank is occupied by a large steel mill and a large zink reduction plant. It has long been known as a district liable to heavy fogs especially in the cold weather of the late autumn, and the coal barges on the river used to anchor in midstream waiting for the fog to clear. Sunrise often brought relief but it was common for the captains to await the lifting of the «second fog» which came after sunrise.

The fog of 1948 was unusually wet and dirty and had a peculiar sulphurous smell. It became dense on Tuesday morning, 26 October, and soon Donora's eight doctors were receiving far more calls than they could attend to. The patients complained about pain in the abdomen, splitting headache, nausea and vomiting, and some coughing up of blood. Soon there were 20 deaths directly attributable to the fog. Late Saturday afternoon it began drizzling, the air became clearer, and by Sunday morning, 31 October, the fog was gone.

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