黄瑞黎, PABLO ROBLES2026年9月8日消防员努力控制坦格朗贾蒂瓦林因垃圾场大火时，燃烧的垃圾升起烟雾。 The blaze at the landfill, the Jatiwaringin waste site, burned for 10 days in July. It was unusual for its sheer size and duration, but that kind of pollution is endemic in Indonesia: people burn trash every day.7月，位于贾蒂瓦林因的垃圾填埋场发生大火，持续燃烧了10天。就其规模和持续时间而言，这场火灾不同寻常，但这类污染在印度尼西亚普遍存在：人们每天都在焚烧垃圾。“We are breathing microplastics,” said Muhammad Reza Cordova, a senior scientist at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency in Jakarta.“我们正在呼吸微塑料，”雅加达印度尼西亚国家研究与创新署高级科学家穆罕默德·礼萨·科尔多瓦说。The implications could be dire, and spill over the country’s borders.其影响可能十分严重，并会蔓延到该国境外。After firefighters brought the flames at the landfill under control, hundreds of people in the surrounding area were treated for acute respiratory infections, the authorities said. The mounds of trash included tens of thousands of tons of plastic, which broke off into tiny fragments as the fires raged.当局表示，在消防员控制住垃圾场的火势后，周边地区有数百人因急性呼吸道感染接受治疗。垃圾堆中包括数万吨塑料，在大火肆虐时碎裂成微小碎片。Microplastics are generally defined as pieces that are less than 5 millimeters long, slightly smaller than the diameter of a plastic straw. The smallest of these, nanoplastics, which measure less than 1 micrometer, are the most likely to get into human blood and tissue.微塑料通常被定义为长度小于五毫米的碎片，略小于塑料吸管的直径。其中最小的纳米塑料尺寸小于一微米，最有可能进入人体血液和组织。 Researchers have also found microscopic pieces of plastic — which is not biodegradable and keeps breaking down into smaller and smaller fragments — in human brains, breast milk and amniotic fluid.研究人员还在人类大脑、母乳和羊水中发现了微小塑料碎片——塑料不可生物降解，并会不断分解成越来越小的碎片。Indonesia has the highest level of microplastic ingestion in the world, according to a study from Cornell University, which was published in 2024. The researchers found that on average, people in Indonesia consume 15 grams of plastic particles every month, which is the weight of three credit cards. The country also ranks among the highest in the world for airborne microplastics. Researchers have found plastic fragments present in the air in 18 cities across the country, of which Jakarta had the highest concentration.根据康奈尔大学2024年发表的一项研究，印度尼西亚的微塑料摄入量居世界首位。研究人员发现，印度尼西亚人平均每月摄入15克塑料颗粒，相当于三张信用卡的重量。该国空气中的微塑料浓度也位居全球前列。研究人员已在该国18个城市的空气中发现塑料碎片，其中雅加达浓度最高。The contamination is the toxic legacy of the country’s chronic challenges with managing plastic waste. Mr. Reza and his colleagues have reported that the amount of microplastics on the ground multiplied fivefold after it rained — a sign of how thick the air has become with these materials.这种污染是该国长期面临塑料垃圾管理难题所留下的有毒遗产。礼萨及其同事报告称，下雨后地面上的微塑料数量增加五倍——这表明空气中这些物质的浓度已经非常高。Washing clothes made of synthetic fabrics can also emit microplastics into sewage, and then rivers and oceans. Some types of car tires also produce microplastics as they wear down.洗涤合成纤维衣物也会向污水中排放微塑料，进而进入河流和海洋。某些类型的汽车轮胎在磨损时也会产生微塑料。 All of this has global ramifications because Indonesia sits between two major oceans. The United Nations says the country is the second-largest plastic polluter in the world after China. Indonesia also has a big fisheries industry, exporting over a million tons a year of seafood to Asia and North America. Researchers have found microplastics in manta rays, milkfish and snappers that were caught in Indonesian waters.所有这些都具有全球影响，因为印度尼西亚位于两大洋之间。联合国表示，该国是仅次于中国的世界第二大塑料污染国。印尼渔业发达，每年向亚洲和北美出口超过100万吨海产品。研究人员已在印度尼西亚水域捕获的蝠鲼、虱目鱼和鲷鱼体内发现微塑料。And, the trash itself can travel long distances once it reaches the ocean.而且，垃圾本身一旦进入海洋，可以漂流很远的距离。The science on how microplastics affect the human body is still at an early stage. But a 2024 study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that patients undergoing surgery to clear clogged carotid arteries were 4.5 times as likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke or die over the next 33 months if microplastics were found in the plaque removed from their arteries than those whose plaque was free of plastic.关于微塑料如何影响人体的科学研究仍处于早期阶段。但2024年发表在《新英格兰医学杂志》上的一项研究发现，在接受清除颈动脉堵塞手术的患者中，如果从动脉中取出的斑块内发现微塑料，那么这些患者在接下来33个月内发生心脏病发作、中风或死亡的可能性，是斑块中不含塑料者的4.5倍。Controlled laboratory studies have shown that exposure to the tiny plastics can trigger inflammation and cell damage.对照实验研究表明，接触微小塑料可引发炎症和细胞损伤。“I have no doubt that microplastics are causes of disease, that they are causes of premature death,” said Dr. Philip Landrigan, a professor who directs a program on global health at Boston College. “There’s no way that any reasonable person can think that microplastics in the human body are benign.”“我毫不怀疑微塑料是疾病的诱因，是过早死亡的原因，”波士顿学院全球健康项目主任菲利普·兰德里根博士说。“任何有理性的人都不可能认为人体内的微塑料是无害的。”印尼坦格朗贾蒂瓦林因垃圾场燃烧垃圾产生烟雾，卫生工作者正疏散周边村庄的居民。But it will probably be years before the public gets a clearer picture. Scientists say the fundamental issue with understanding how microplastics affects human health is they cannot reliably measure the tiniest particles that can enter human cells. While several studies have shown associations between microplastic exposure and diseases, they do not prove that microplastics caused those conditions.但公众可能要等多年才能获得更清晰的图景。科学家表示，理解微塑料如何影响人类健康的根本问题是，他们无法可靠地测量能够进入人体细胞的最微小颗粒。虽然有多项研究显示微塑料暴露与疾病之间存在关联，但它们并不能证明微塑料导致了这些疾病。The challenge facing researchers now is understanding what the potentially harmful level is, according to Kevin Thomas, an environmental health scientist at the University of Queensland.昆士兰大学环境健康科学家凯文·托马斯表示，研究人员目前面临的挑战是，弄清楚什么水平才是潜在有害的。Still, he added: “It’s solid advice to limit exposure.”不过，他还说：“限制接触是可靠的建议。”Last year, Indonesia’s health minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, convened a news conference to warn that if it rains in Jakarta, people should wear masks. The announcement, prompted by Mr. Reza’s findings, led to a slew of headlines in the Indonesian press warning about “plastic rain.” But Mr. Reza said the public should be equally worried about the dry season, when people can inhale microplastics suspended in the air.去年，印度尼西亚卫生部长布迪·古纳迪·萨迪金召开新闻发布会，警告如果雅加达下雨，人们应该戴口罩。这一由礼萨的研究结果引发的声明，导致印度尼西亚媒体出现大量关于“塑料雨”的警告报道。但礼萨说，公众同样应该担心旱季，因为那时人们可能吸入悬浮在空气中的微塑料。After the minister’s warning, Wahyu Lilik, a resident of Jakarta, became even more wedded to wearing a face mask during his commute, a habit he had formed during the coronavirus pandemic.在部长发出警告后，雅加达居民瓦休·利利克在通勤时更加坚持佩戴口罩，这是他在新冠疫情期间养成的习惯。“I used to be more worried about air pollution in Jakarta, but once the issue of microplastics became widely discussed, it added to my concerns,” said Mr. Wahyu, who works in marketing.“我以前更担心雅加达的空气污染，但自从微塑料问题被广泛讨论后，这更加重了我的担忧，”从事营销工作的瓦休说。Setting Fire to Trash焚烧垃圾A major reason airborne microplastic pollution is so dire in Indonesia is because of the open burning of waste, according to Indonesian researchers.据印尼研究人员称，印度尼西亚空气传播微塑料污染如此严重的一个主要原因是露天焚烧垃圾。About 57 percent of Indonesian households burn their trash, even though it is illegal, according to a 2023 survey by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health, compared with a global average of 14 percent.根据印尼卫生部2023年的一项调查，约57%的印尼家庭会焚烧垃圾，尽管这是违法行为；而全球平均水平为14%。Millions of people resort to burning their garbage because waste collection services are few and far between outside of cities. Recycling is not common. Many low-income people rely on cheap plastic sachets of shampoo, coffee and detergent that accumulate in trash mountains around the country.数以百万计的人不得不焚烧垃圾，因为城市以外的垃圾收集服务少之又少。回收利用并不普遍。许多低收入人群只能购买便宜的塑料小包装洗发水、咖啡和洗涤剂，这些包装在全国各地堆积成垃圾山。垃圾场焚烧垃圾升起浓烟，数十辆卡车排队倾倒塑料垃圾。These landfills are fire hazards. In July, officials said they preemptively sprayed the Bantar Gebang waste site in Jakarta — which is taller than the Statue of Liberty and spans more than 200 football fields — with water during the dry season because of the high levels of flammable methane gas trapped in the trash piles.这些垃圾堆存在火灾隐患。7月，官员们表示，他们在旱季预先向雅加达的班塔尔格邦垃圾场喷水，因为垃圾堆中积聚的可燃甲烷气体浓度很高。这座垃圾场比自由女神像还高，面积超过200个足球场。Last year, Ecoton, a nonprofit, said it had found microplastics present in the air in 18 cities across Indonesia.去年，非营利组织埃科顿表示，已在印尼18个城市的空气中发现微塑料。In June, Indonesia’s environment minister, Moh Jumhur Hidayat, set a 2027 deadline for all regional governments to completely phase out open dumping of trash. But environmentalists say it is highly unlikely that the deadline will be met.6月，印尼环境部长穆罕默德·朱姆胡尔·希达亚特设定了2027年的最后期限，要求所有地方政府彻底停止露天倾倒垃圾。但环保人士表示，这一期限极不可能实现。Microplastics in the Water水中的微塑料When Mr. Reza collected rainwater from the rooftop of his lab in northern Jakarta in 2022, he expected to find the tiny plastic fragments that he recognized as microplastics.2022年，当礼萨从他在雅加达北部实验室的屋顶收集雨水时，他预料到会发现那些他熟悉的微小塑料碎片，也就是人们所说的微塑料。But he was shocked to see how abundant they were, and that one form of microplastic was dominant: synthetic fibers.但他对它们的数量之多感到震惊，而且有一种微塑料占了主导地位：合成纤维。His finding echoed one from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, a global environmental network, that concluded that washing clothes by machine is one of the largest household sources of microplastic pollution on the planet.他的发现与国际自然保护联盟（一个全球环境网络）的一项研究结果相呼应。该研究结论认为，用洗衣机洗衣服是全球最大的家庭微塑料污染源之一。工人在雅加达一家商业洗衣店内洗涤纺织品。During a wash cycle, friction in the washing machine causes microscopic plastic fibers to shed. Research shows that faster spin cycles and hot water make it even easier for these fibers to detach. Washing clothes by hand or with lower spin cycles produces fewer microplastic emissions.在洗涤过程中，洗衣机的摩擦会导致微小的塑料纤维脱落。研究表明，更快的脱水转速和热水会使这些纤维更容易脱落。手洗衣物或使用较低脱水转速产生的微塑料排放则较少。In countries with advanced sanitation systems, these tiny fibers are mostly caught by integrated filtration plants. But in Indonesia, there are few of these facilities. The wastewater from laundry is often dumped into gutters or streams, causing millions of fibers to flow directly into the rivers.在拥有先进污水处理系统的国家，这些微小的纤维大多会被综合过滤设施截留。但在印尼，此类设施很少。洗衣废水通常排入排水沟或溪流，导致数百万根纤维直接流入河流。消防员努力控制坦格朗贾蒂瓦林因垃圾场大火时，燃烧的垃圾升起烟雾。 When these rivers dry up under the sun, the fibers are left behind. Over time they are lifted into the air by wind and accumulate in the atmosphere. When rain falls, it washes out the suspended dust, pollutants and microplastics from the air.当这些河流在阳光下干涸时，纤维留在原地。随着时间推移，它们被风卷起，并在大气中积聚。降雨时，雨水将空气中悬浮的灰尘、污染物和微塑料冲刷下来。Researchers from Ecoton sampled 68 rivers in Indonesia and found that synthetic fibers account for nearly half of all microplastic pollution those waters.埃科顿的研究人员对印尼的68条河流进行了采样，发现合成纤维占这些水域所有微塑料污染的近一半。Asep Kuswanto, the head of the Jakarta Environmental Agency, said the government is expanding the city’s centralized wastewater treatment network to properly filter domestic liquid waste.雅加达环境局局长阿塞普·库斯万托表示，政府正在扩建该市的集中式废水处理网络，以妥善过滤生活污水。In an interview, Mr. Budi, the health minister, said the government plans to collect surveillance data on the level of microplastics in the country’s air, food and water, then share the information with the World Health Organization.卫生部长布迪在接受采访时表示，政府计划收集有关该国空气、食物和水中微塑料水平的监测数据，然后与世界卫生组织共享这些信息。Mr. Reza is not waiting to find out. He has an air purifier at home, where he says the machine’s light is almost always red, a sign of the poor air quality outside. Even though he has adjusted to the smell of burning plastic every morning, he said he now avoids bottled water, sets his washing machine to a lower spin speed, exercises more, and eats a fiber-rich diet.礼萨不打算坐等结果。他家里有一台空气净化器，他说机器的指示灯几乎总是红色，表明室外空气质量很差。尽管他已经习惯了每天早上焚烧塑料的气味，但他说他现在避免饮用瓶装水，将洗衣机调到较低的脱水转速，增加锻炼，并多吃富含纤维的食物。“From all the toxicology tests conducted, microplastics have shown negative effects,” he said. “Honestly, I’m worried.”“从已做的所有毒理学测试来看，微塑料都显示出负面影响，”他说。“老实说，我很担心。”注：微塑料的形状基于肖氏研究所发布的显微图像。雨滴和微塑料的大小并非按比例绘制。在尺寸对比图中，PM2.5指的是直径为2.5微米或更小的空气颗粒。根据美国生理学会的数据，红细胞的直径约为7.8微米。根据联合国环境规划署的数据，人类头发的平均直径约为70微米。标准办公打印纸的克重为80克/平方米，厚度为0.10毫米。根据塑料工业协会的生产标准，吸管的宽度约为6毫米。根据欧洲环境署对服装洗涤的研究，微塑料纤维的平均厚度为八至17微米，长度为50至200微米。补充资料来源：马修·罗斯博士(Dr. Matthew Ross)，麦克尤恩大学物理科学系副教授。Jiwoong Hong对本文亦有贡献。翻译：晋其角、杜然点击查看本文英文版。