中英对照：英国报告凸显需要进行纳米材料安全研究

计算机生成的与石棉有类似性的碳纳米管的图像/A computer-generated image of a carbon nanotube which has similarities to asbestos,Flickr/ghutchis

　　Report highlights need for nanomaterial safety research

　　一份报告说，纳米材料的日益流行正走在了试图理解其潜在危险的工作的前面。该报告呼吁进行国际协作从而建立纳米材料的安全测试和管理监督体系。

　　The rising popularity of nanomaterials is outstripping efforts to understand their potential dangers, says a report. It calls for international collaboration to establish safety tests and regulatory oversight of the materials.

　　这份报告由英国皇家环境污染委员会完成，它说，尽管纳米材料迄今为止没有表明有害的迹象，但是对其潜在风险的研究还有“严重的欠缺”。

　　The UK-based Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution says that while the materials have so far shown no sign of being harmful, there is a "major gap" in research about their potential risks.

　　纳米材料的成分不足0.1微米大，但是比分子要大一些，它们被推崇是因为其性能与比它们尺度大的同类材料不同。这种新的性能可能难以预见。例如，碳纳米管和另一种形式的碳——石墨显著不同，前者的行为很难预测。

　　Nanomaterials — whose tiny components are less than 0.1 micrometres in size but larger than molecules — are prized because their properties differ from those of their larger-scale counterparts. These new properties can be unforeseen. For example, the behaviour of carbon nanotubes — markedly different from that of graphite, another form of carbon — is hard to predict.

　　该报告说，但是不同的纳米材料代表着不同的潜在风险，因此将这些材料归类非常重要，归类不能仅仅基于其尺寸，也要基于其功能。

　　But different nanomaterials present different potential risks, so it is important to categorise these materials based not only on their size but also their functionality, says the report.

　　这份报告补充说，没有理由施加一个对纳米材料的一刀切禁令或者暂停其研究，因为它们具有对社会显著的利益。但是报告强调了一些特别值得关注的材料，包括碳纳米纤维——碳纳米管显示了与石棉类似的性状。

　　The report adds there is no reason to issue a blanket ban or moratorium on nanomaterials, because of their marked societal benefits. But it highlights some materials that are of particular concern, including carbon nanofibres, whose nanotubes have shown similarities to asbestos.

　　本文由科学与发展网络(SciDev.Net)独家提供。