VOA慢速英语2018 美国法官裁定 咖啡公司需告知消费者癌症风险

California Judge Rules Coffee Needs Cancer Warning

A judge has ruled that coffee sellers in California must warn people that coffee may contain a substance linked to cancer.

The Council for Education and Research on Toxics 1 brought a case against dozens of coffee companies in 2010. The not-for-profit group wanted the coffee industry to either remove the chemical acrylamide from its processing, or warn buyers about it.

Acrylamide has been identified as a possible cancer-causing substance. The chemical is naturally produced during cooking at high temperatures, including during the roasting of coffee beans.

California state law requires warnings to be written on products containing chemicals identified as possible causes of cancer or birth defects.

The coffee industry had argued that the amount of acrylamide resulting from the coffee-making process is not enough to cause harm. Starbucks and other major producers have cited 2 studies suggesting that coffee provides several health benefits.

But Los Angeles Judge Elihu Berle ruled Wednesday the companies had failed to prove that acrylamide levels in coffee do not cause harmful effects.

Coffee companies have resisted calls to remove acrylamide from their products, saying it would change the taste of the drinks.

In a statement, the National Coffee Association criticized the ruling and said it was considering an appeal and other possible legal actions.

“Cancer warning labels on coffee would be misleading,” the statement said. “The U.S. government’s own Dietary Guidelines 3 state that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle.”

Many coffee stores already have put up warnings saying acrylamide is a cancer-causing chemical found in coffee. But such signs are often put in places not easily seen by buyers.

The lawsuit 4 also seeks civil punishments as large as $2,500 per person for every incident of exposure to acrylamide at California coffee stores since 2002. Those punishments could reach huge amounts in California, which has a population of nearly 40 million.

The ruling does not become final until April 10, giving coffee companies the chance to dispute the decision and seek an appeal.

美国洛杉矶一名法官星期四裁定咖啡公司必须遵守加利福尼亚州的法律，在他们的产品上加上癌症警告标籤。

非营利组织有毒物质教研理事会对星巴克、当肯甜甜圈和麦当劳等知名的咖啡烘烤商和零售商提出起诉。该团体说，这些公司没有警告消费者，烘烤咖啡豆时会自然产生致癌的丙烯胺。

在三期审判的第一期，高级法院法官博勒裁决，咖啡公司未能证明他们有关丙烯胺不构成重大危险的宣称。

第二期审理后，博勒法官在星期四的裁决中说，这些咖啡公司未能有效证明咖啡是健康饮料。

博勒法官在裁决书中说：“被告未能以证据优势令人信服地证明饮用咖啡有益于人类健康。”

即将举行的第三期审理将确定咖啡公司将支付多少民事罚款。这些咖啡公司还没有对法官的裁决作出回应。

咖啡、热麦片和马铃薯在烹调和煎炸时会自然产生丙烯胺。大部分医学研究显示，食用这些食品没有增加患癌症的风险。

有一些最新研究显示，饮用咖啡可能对健康有益，包括减少患肝病、某些糖尿病和帕金森氏综合症的风险。

Words in This Story

roast – v. to cook or dry with heat

defect – n. a problem or fault that makes someone or something not perfect

label – n. small piece of paper or other material providing information about the thing it is attached to

misleading – adj. not necessarily true

lawsuit – n. process by which a court of law makes a decision to end a disagreement between people or organizations

exposure – n. the state of coming into contact with something