Plastic is everywhere. From the food we eat to the air we breathe, tiny particles of plastic — also known as “microplastics” — can be found in almost anything. 
塑料無處不在。從我們吃的食物到呼吸的空氣，幾乎任何東西中都可以發(fā)現(xiàn)微小的塑料顆粒，也稱為“微塑料”。

Not only does plastic cause real havoc on our oceans and take centuries to decay, causing even more of an environmental crisis, but toxicologists have questioned whether consuming microplastics can negatively impact health. Especially if there are pieces of plastic you’re using on a regular basis, like say your handy-dandy plastic cutting board.
塑料不僅給海洋造成了真正的破壞，而且需要幾個世紀的時間才能腐爛，從而造成更大的環(huán)境危機，但毒理學家也質疑食用微塑料是否會對健康產(chǎn)生負面影響。尤其是當你經(jīng)常使用一些塑料制品時，比如方便實用的塑料砧板。

A recent study published by the journal, Ecotoxicology and Public Health evaluated the amount of microplastics found in a food between two different types of plastic cutting boards. Carrots were chopped on a cutting board made with polypropylene, and another with polyethylene. Scientists evaluated what the total exposure would be per person when using these types of plastic cutting boards. 
最近，《生態(tài)毒理學與公共健康》雜志發(fā)表了一項研究，對使用兩種不同類型的塑料砧板在食物中發(fā)現(xiàn)的微塑料數(shù)量進行了評估。研究人員分別在聚丙烯砧板和聚乙烯砧板上切胡蘿卜，評估在使用這兩種塑料砧板時平均每個人的微塑料總接觸量。

At the end of the study, they found these plastic cutting boards resulted in 1,114 microplastic particles (pieces of plastic less than 5 millimeters long) on the carrots each time the board was used. This means a plastic cutting board could generate 15 milligrams of microplastics per cut, and around 50 grams a year — the equivalent of 10 plastic credit cards.
研究結束時，他們發(fā)現(xiàn)每次使用這些塑料砧板都會在胡蘿卜上產(chǎn)生1114個微塑料顆粒（長度小于5毫米的塑料碎片）。這意味著塑料砧板切菜每次會產(chǎn)生15毫克的微塑料，一年大約產(chǎn)生50克，相當于10張塑料信用卡。

With so many microplastics being exposed to our food, should consumers be worried? The Kitchn spoke with Alex LeBeau, PhD, MPH, CIH, a toxicologist and certified industrial hygienist on the impact on human health from using plastic cutting boards on a regular basis, and if there are healthier cutting board solutions we should consider.
如此多的微塑料暴露在食物中，消費者是否應該擔心？The Kitchn 就經(jīng)常使用塑料砧板對人體健康的影響以及是否應該考慮使用更健康的砧板采訪了毒理學博士、公共衛(wèi)生碩士、CIH（注冊工業(yè)衛(wèi)生師）亞歷克斯·勒博。

At first, the studies regarding microplastic consumption seem bleak. Evidence suggests that microplastics can be found in our blood, our lungs, and even our placenta, and can be potentially hazardous towards our physical health. A 2022 animal study in South Korea found microplastics could interfere with digestive, respiratory, endocrine, and even our reproductive systems.
起初，有關微塑料消耗的研究似乎并不樂觀。有證據(jù)表明，微塑料可能存在于我們的血液、肺部甚至胎盤中，對身體健康有潛在危害。2022 年在韓國進行的一項動物研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，微塑料可能會干擾消化、呼吸、內(nèi)分泌甚至生殖系統(tǒng)。

And yet, while this research will make a plastic cutting board-user seem wary, it’s important to note that the science is still new and very limited. Dr. LeBeau points out that while the recent study evaluating cutting boards does prove the release of microplastic particles, it does not make any claims towards the negative effects these cutting boards can have toward human health. “The presence of the plastics under limited simulated conditions identifies them as a potential exposure source, but it is unclear if they are a human health hazard or pose any risk to consumers,” he says.
然而，盡管這項研究會讓塑料砧板使用者保持警惕，但重要的是要注意，這是一項新的科學研究，而且有很大局限性。勒博博士指出，雖然最近評估砧板的研究確實證明了微塑料顆粒的釋放，但研究并沒有聲稱這些砧板會對人類健康產(chǎn)生負面影響。他說：“在有限的模擬條件下，塑料的存在表明塑料砧板是潛在的暴露源，但尚不清楚它們是否對人類健康構成危害或對消費者構成任何風險?！?/p>

Plus, the studies that looks at microplastics potentially harming human health are all looking at correlation, without making any outright claims because the connection between the two is still harder to outright conclude. 
此外，有關微塑料可能危害人類健康的研究都是在研究兩者之間的相關性，而沒有提出任何明確的說法，因為兩者之間的聯(lián)系還很難直接得出結論。

Should we replace our cutting boards?
那么應該更換砧板嗎？

With so much uncertainty around whether plastic cutting boards actually negatively affect human health, the question still stands: should we get rid of them just in case?
塑料砧板是否真的會對人體健康產(chǎn)生負面影響尚存在許多不確定性，但問題依然存在：我們是否應該拋棄塑料砧板，以防萬一？

Dr. Lebeau says that we’re already consuming so many microplastics throughout our day (like in our food we eat from production, or even sometimes in our water even if it’s been filtered), that the microplastics from cutting boards won’t be making a huge difference.
勒博博士說，我們每天已經(jīng)消耗了大量的微塑料（比如加工的食物中，甚至經(jīng)過過濾的水中），所以砧板上的微塑料不會產(chǎn)生太大的影響。

Plus, Dr. Lebeau also brings up weighing the pros and cons of using other types of cutting boards. While using a wood cutting board may seem like a cleaner, safer option, these types of products are porous and may not be completely disinfected properly — a.k.a., increasing the risk of food-borne illness.
此外，勒博博士還提出要權衡使用其他類型砧板的利弊。雖然使用木質砧板看似更干凈、更安全，但這類產(chǎn)品多孔，可能無法完全正確消毒，也就是會增加食源性疾病的風險。

If you would like to avoid both altogether, the USDA recommends replacing your plastic and wood cutting boards with ones that are made from bamboo because they are denser and are less porous than other wood cutting boards, decreasing your risk. Just be sure to clean it as thoroughly as possible!
如果您想完全避免這兩種情況，美國農(nóng)業(yè)部建議將塑料和木質砧板換成竹子砧板，因為竹子比其他木質砧板密度更高，孔隙更少，可以降低風險。但一定要盡可能徹底清潔！