transcript
show notes
They could be the hottest accessory of an even hotter summer. As temperature records were smashed across Europe and other parts of the world, portable electric fans could be seen in the hands of millions of people. Estimates claim that up to 8 million of these devices were sold in the UK alone. The breeze that they provide will have been welcome to many, but could there be a downside to this popular product?
它们可能是炎热夏季最热门的配饰。 随着欧洲和世界其他地区的气温记录被打破，数百万人手中可以看到便携式电风扇。 据估计，仅在英国就售出了多达 800 万台此类设备。 它们提供的微风会受到许多人的欢迎，但是这种受欢迎的产品有缺点吗？
Concerns have been raised that these fans are just another example of fast technology. That is products that are sold cheaply and are likely to be disposed of quickly. Research from Material Focus, a British pro-recycling organisation, suggests that half of all the mini fans bought will end up unused or thrown away. This is unsurprising as they can be cheap to buy and almost impossible to repair. Fans contain a mix of different materials – plastic casing, copperwiring and a lithium-ion battery among other components. This means that a considerable amount of natural resource is used in their production, and that they can be complex to recycle and dispose of sustainably.
人们担心这些风扇只是快速技术的另一个例子。 这些产品售价低廉并且可能会很快被处理掉。 英国支持回收利用的组织Material Focus的研究表明，购买的迷你风扇中有一半最终会被闲置或丢弃。 这并不奇怪，因为它们购买起来很便宜，而且几乎不可能修理。 风扇包含不同材料的组合——塑料外壳、铜线和锂离子电池等组件。 这意味着它们的生产中使用了大量的自然资源，并且它们的可持续回收和处置可能很复杂。
There are more immediate safety risks from portable fans. The London Fire Brigade has reported cases of cheaply-made portable fan batteries catching fire or exploding while being charged. Waste disposal companies in the UK have warned that the lithium-ion batteries used by these devices are often thrown away together with household waste, and that this can lead to fires which put staff and installations at risk. It's not just fire either. The Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency reports a train passenger's hair being sucked into someone else's fan on a train. In addition, once the air around you gets hot enough, fans can even make you warmer rather than colder.
便携式风扇存在更直接的安全风险。 伦敦消防队报告了廉价制造的便携式风扇电池在充电时起火或爆炸的案例。 英国的废物处理公司警告说，这些设备使用的锂离子电池经常与家庭垃圾一起丢弃，这可能导致火灾，使工作人员和设施面临危险。 这也不仅仅是火。 日本消费者事务厅报告称，一名火车乘客的头发在火车上被吸进了别人的风扇中。 此外，一旦你周围的空气变得足够热，风扇甚至可以让你变得更温暖而不是更冷。
As the world's climate continues to heat up, more and more of us may be tempted to reach for portable fans. But maybe we should take some time to reflect on the effect this might be having on our environment and climate.
随着世界气候持续变暖，我们中越来越多的人可能会想要使用便携式风扇。 但也许我们应该花一些时间来思考这可能对我们的环境和气候产生的影响。
