一个被忽视的全球问题 (A Neglected Global Problem)

当你打开水龙头接一杯水时，你可能从未想过，这杯水里除了氢和氧之外，还可能含有布洛芬、避孕药成分、抗抑郁药物甚至抗生素的微量残留。这不是科幻小说的情节，而是全球水资源面临的严峻现实。2024年发表在《环境科学与技术》杂志上的一项研究显示，全球河流中检测到的药物种类已超过1000种。

When you turn on the faucet to fill a glass of water, you might never imagine that beyond hydrogen and oxygen, that glass could contain trace residues of ibuprofen, birth control pill components, antidepressants, or even antibiotics. This is not the plot of a science fiction novel, but a grim reality facing global water resources. A study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology in 2024 found that more than 1,000 types of pharmaceuticals have been detected in rivers worldwide.

药物进入水环境的途径比你想象的更加直接。最常见的方式是人体代谢：我们服用的药物中，有30%到90%会以原形或代谢产物的形式通过尿液排出体外，最终进入污水处理系统。然而，大多数污水处理厂设计时并未考虑去除药物成分，导致这些化学物质直接流入河流和湖泊。

The pathways by which pharmaceuticals enter water environments are more direct than you might think. The most common route is human metabolism: 30% to 90% of the drugs we take are excreted through urine in their original form or as metabolites, eventually entering sewage treatment systems. However, most wastewater treatment plants were not designed to remove pharmaceutical components, causing these chemicals to flow directly into rivers and lakes.

生态系统的警报 (Alarm Bells for Ecosystems)

药物污染对水生生态系统的影响已经引起了科学家的高度关注。最典型的案例发生在英国的河流中。研究人员发现，抗抑郁药物氟西汀（百忧解）在河流中的浓度足以改变鱼类的行为模式——受污染水域中的鱼表现出更少的警惕性、更高的攻击性和异常的觅食行为。

The impact of pharmaceutical pollution on aquatic ecosystems has drawn serious attention from scientists. The most striking case occurred in British rivers. Researchers found that the concentration of the antidepressant fluoxetine (Prozac) in rivers was sufficient to alter fish behavior patterns—fish in contaminated waters showed reduced vigilance, increased aggression, and abnormal foraging behavior.

更令人担忧的是激素类药物的影响。2000年代初，科学家首次发现河流中大量雄性鱼类出现雌性化特征，原因正是水中残留的合成雌激素。这一现象后来被称为"内分泌干扰"。2025年的一项全球综述研究指出，内分泌干扰物已导致某些鱼类种群数量下降了50%以上，并可能通过食物链影响到更高级的生物。

Even more concerning is the impact of hormonal pharmaceuticals. In the early 2000s, scientists first discovered that large numbers of male fish in rivers were developing female characteristics, caused by residual synthetic estrogen in the water. This phenomenon was later termed "endocrine disruption." A 2025 global review study indicated that endocrine disruptors have caused fish populations in some areas to decline by more than 50 percent and may affect higher-level organisms through the food chain.

对人类健康的潜在威胁 (Potential Threats to Human Health)

关于药物污染对人体健康的影响，科学界目前尚无定论，但越来越多的证据引发了担忧。抗生素在水环境中的残留被认为是全球抗生素耐药性危机的重要推手之一。世界卫生组织将抗生素耐药性列为全球十大公共卫生威胁之一，估计每年导致约127万人死亡。

Regarding the impact of pharmaceutical pollution on human health, the scientific community currently has no definitive conclusion, but mounting evidence has raised concerns. Residual antibiotics in water environments are considered one of the key drivers of the global antibiotic resistance crisis. The World Health Organization has listed antibiotic resistance as one of the top ten global public health threats, estimating it causes approximately 1.27 million deaths annually.

虽然饮用水中药物残留的浓度通常远低于治疗剂量，但科学家警告说，长期低剂量暴露的累积效应、多种药物的混合毒性反应，以及对儿童和孕妇等敏感群体的影响，都是尚未被充分研究的领域。

Although the concentration of pharmaceutical residues in drinking water is typically far below therapeutic doses, scientists warn that the cumulative effects of long-term low-dose exposure, the combined toxic effects of multiple pharmaceuticals, and the impact on sensitive groups such as children and pregnant women are all areas that have not been sufficiently studied.

解决方案在哪里 (Where Are the Solutions)

面对这一挑战，全球多个层面正在采取行动。在技术层面，臭氧氧化、活性炭吸附和膜过滤等先进水处理技术已被证明能有效去除大部分药物残留。瑞士在这一领域走在前列，自2016年起就要求所有大型污水处理厂升级设施以去除微污染物。

Faced with this challenge, action is being taken at multiple levels globally. On the technical front, advanced water treatment technologies such as ozone oxidation, activated carbon adsorption, and membrane filtration have been proven effective at removing most pharmaceutical residues. Switzerland leads in this field—since 2016, it has required all large-scale wastewater treatment plants to upgrade their facilities to remove micropollutants.

在政策层面，欧盟正在推动制定更严格的药物环境风险评估标准，要求制药公司在新药上市前必须提交环境影响报告。在个人层面，正确处理过期药物至关重要——将过期药品投入专门的回收点，而非冲入马桶或扔进垃圾桶，可以显著减少药物进入水环境的数量。

At the policy level, the European Union is pushing for stricter environmental risk assessment standards for pharmaceuticals, requiring drug companies to submit environmental impact reports before new drugs can be marketed. At the individual level, proper disposal of expired medications is crucial—depositing expired drugs at designated collection points rather than flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash can significantly reduce the amount of pharmaceuticals entering water environments.

【重点词汇】

• pharmaceutical /ˌfɑːrməˈsuːtɪkl/ adj. 制药的；药物的 — Pharmaceutical pollution is a growing environmental concern.
• residue /ˈrezɪdjuː/ n. 残留物；残渣 — Trace residues of pesticides were found in the fruit.
• metabolite /məˈtæbəlaɪt/ n. 代谢产物 — Drug metabolites are excreted through urine.
• endocrine /ˈendəʊkraɪn/ adj. 内分泌的 — Endocrine disruptors can interfere with hormone systems.
• antibiotic resistance /ˌæntɪbaɪˈɒtɪk rɪˈzɪstəns/ n. 抗生素耐药性 — Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat.
• contaminated /kənˈtæmɪneɪtɪd/ adj. 被污染的 — The contaminated water was unsafe to drink.
• excrete /ɪkˈskriːt/ v. 排泄；分泌 — The body excretes toxins through sweat and urine.
• micropollutant /ˌmaɪkrəʊpəˈluːtənt/ n. 微污染物 — Micropollutants are difficult to detect at low concentrations.
• filtration /fɪlˈtreɪʃn/ n. 过滤 — Advanced filtration systems can remove most contaminants.
• therapeutic /ˌθerəˈpjuːtɪk/ adj. 治疗的 — The dosage was well below therapeutic levels.

【语法要点】

• 现在分词作结果状语：如 "causing these chemicals to flow directly into rivers"，现在分词短语表示前面动作的自然结果，常用于科技文章描述因果关系。
• 主语从句："...whether the long-term effects are harmful remains unknown" 类型的结构，用 whether 引导主语从句，是学术写作中表达不确定性的重要方式。
• 倍数表达：文中出现的 "more than 1,000 types" 和 "50% 以上" 使用了不同的倍数和百分比表达方式，注意英语中倍数的多种说法（more than, over, as much as）。