Women may be poisoning themselves in a quest for lighter skin
使用美白產品可能導致中毒
For many Asian women, white skin is the be all and end all of beauty. Pricey creams and lotions promise to give their users a pale complexion, and women line up to lay their money down. Skin whiteners account for 60 percent of beauty product sales in the region. But how many of these white-worshippers really know what they're putting on their faces?
對許多亞洲婦女而言，白晰的肌膚就等於美貌。因此，高價的乳霜乳液保證會讓使用者膚色雪白，而婦女們則爭相把口袋裡的錢掏出來購買。美白用品佔亞洲地區美容產品總銷售量的百分之六十，但是，這些一心一意求美白的人中，有多少真正知道他們往自己臉上擦了什麼？
According to beauty experts, the active ingredient in most whitening products is either hydroquinone or fruit acids. Hydroquinone suppresses the production of melanin, the chemical that causes skin to darken. Doctors don't recommend using it for extended periods because it can lead to patchy or sensitive skin. Fruit acids work by removing the outer layer of dead skin cells, to boost the moisture content of the skin, unblock pores, and give the skin a clearer appearance.
根據美容專家的說法，大部分美白產品中的有效成份不是苯二酚就是果酸。苯二酚會抑制造成膚色暗沉的黑色素形成，長期使用會導致膚色不勻或肌膚敏感，因此醫生不建議長期使用；果酸的作用則是去除皮膚壞死細胞的外層、促進皮膚水含量、疏通毛孔、使皮膚顯得比較潔淨。
However, a recent test of 36 popular skin-whitening products revealed a much more sinister ingredient: mercury. What's wrong with mercury? Well, have you ever heard the expression, "Mad as a hatter?" In 18 th century Europe, people who made hats used a lot of mercury in their work, and the fumes caused such widespread nerve damage that hat makers gained a reputation for madness. According to a professor at Hong Kong's Chinese University, even short-term exposure to mercury "can lead to convulsions, coma and death."
然而，最近一項針對三十六種廣受喜愛的美白產品所作的檢測，揭發出另一種更不好的成份：汞。水銀有什麼不好？嗯，你聽過一句話叫做"像做帽子的人一樣瘋"嗎？在十八世紀的歐洲，製做帽子的人使用大量的汞，汞的氣體對神經造成的傷害影響之大，造成製帽工人被冠上瘋子的惡名。根據香港中文大學的一位教授指出，就算是短時間的接觸水銀「都可能導致抽搐、昏迷，甚至死亡」。
Of the eight brands containing mercury, one in particular contained up to 60,000 times the acceptable dose. 435 people in Hong Kong tested positive for mercury poisoning with over a dozen people requiring medical treatment.
在八種含汞的品牌中，有一個的含量更高達可接受度的六萬倍。香港有四百三十五人的汞中毒測驗呈陽性反應，其中超過十二人需要尋求醫療。
People have always been willing to pay a high price for beauty, but "convulsions, coma and death" are perhaps a little more expensive than anyone can afford.
為了美，人們總是甘心付出高價。但是"抽搐、昏迷，甚至死亡"大概代價有點昂貴到沒人付得起吧。
．the be-all and end-all of 為…的代名詞
During the late 90s, Armani was the be all and end all of men's fashion.
在九○年代，亞曼尼是男性時髦的代名詞。
．gain a reputation for 獲得…的名聲
Our company's products have gained a reputation for quality and value.
我們公司的產品以高品質聞名。
1. lotion (n.) 乳液
2. complexion (n.) 膚色；氣色
3. account for (phr.) 佔有
4. worshipper (n.) 崇拜者
5. ingredient (n.) 成份
6. suppress (v.) 壓制
7. boost (v.) 提高；增加
8. moisture (n.) 水分；潮濕
9. reveal (v.) 揭示
10. fume (v.) 煙霧；蒸氣
11. widespread (adj.) 廣泛的
12. convulsion (n.) 抽搐
13. coma (n.) 昏迷
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