◎刘宜庭

Contact lenses don’t last forever, so what do you do with yours when it’s time to discard them? Scientists are hoping your answer isn’t, flush them down the toilet or toss them into the sink.

隐形眼镜不能永久配戴，那么你会怎么抛弃它们？科学家们希望你的答案不是把隐形眼镜冲进马桶，或丢进洗手槽。

That’s because a new study finds that discarding contacts lenses in these ways may ultimately end up contributing to microplastic pollution in waterways. Microplastics measure under 0.2 inches （5 millimeters） in length — about the size of a sesame seed or smaller — and can wind up in the ocean and Great Lakes, posing a potential threat to aquatic life, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

因为一项新的研究发现，以这类方式抛弃隐形眼镜，最终可能造成水道的塑胶微粒污染。根据美国国家海洋暨大气总署（NOAA）说法，「塑胶微粒」的长度小于0.2吋（5公厘），等大或小于一粒芝麻，它会流入海洋及北美五大湖，对水生动物构成潜在威胁。

But what happens to these lenses when they’re swept down the drain? They end up in wastewater treatment plants. Wastewater is also mixed with a variety of bacteria, which are tasked with breaking down biological waste. This, ultimately, is what could lead to the formation of microplastics, the researchers said.

不过，这些镜片被冲进排水系统会发生什么事？它们最后会抵达污水处理厂。由于污水还混杂著分解生物废料的各式微生物，研究人员说，最终可能导致塑胶微粒的生成。

新闻辞典

contact lenses：名词，隐形眼镜。例句：Soft contact lenses are made from gel-like, water-containing plastics.（软性隐形眼镜由凝胶状的含水塑胶制成。）

microplastic：名词，塑胶微粒、微塑胶。例句：This could be particularly dangerous for bottom feeders on the seafloor that may ingest the microplastics from the lenses.（这对海床的底食者（食物网底层摄食者）来说特别危险，牠们可能吃掉由镜片变成的塑胶微粒。）

drain：名词，下水道、排水系统；动词，排水。例句：Jack lies dead in a drain.（杰克横死在下水道。）

• 最新研究指出，隐形眼镜流入污水处理厂后，会被微生物分解成塑胶微粒，对环境造成危害。（取自网路）