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Using public toilets in China can often be a challenging undertaking, particularly for those not practiced in the art of squatting. But researchers in China have come up with a new technology that they say can help eliminate one of the most noxious of problems to plague China’s public lavatories: the overpowering stench.
在中國，使用公共廁所往往是一件頗具挑戰性的事情，對那些不能熟練深蹲的人而言尤其如此。但中國的研究人員發明了一項新技術，稱這項技術能幫助消除困擾中國公廁的最嚴重的問題之一：刺鼻的臭味。
Unlike chemical solutions, which are expensive and can be harmful to the environment, the new biotreatment is being touted as an environmentally friendly, cost-effective way to resolve up to 75 percent of the odors in bathrooms, according to researchers with the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
不同于昂貴且可能危及環境的化學手段，這個新的生物處理辦法被稱為一種環保、經濟的方式，中國科學院的研究人員稱，這個辦法能分解高達75%的公廁臭氣。
The science behind the treatment lies in a special mixture of two types of bacteria — lactobacillius sp and streptococcus thermopiles — as well as the essence of tangerines. The prepared mixture, which comes in liquid or powder form, feeds on human waste when applied, thereby precluding the growth of aroma-making bacteria.
這一處理辦法背后的技術原理涉及一種特殊的混合物，該混合物由兩類細菌——乳桿菌類細菌和嗜熱鏈球菌——和橘子香精組成。事先備好的這種混合物呈液體或粉末狀，使用時會分解人類排泄物，從而防止長出會產生氣味的細菌。
Not yet available in supermarkets, the odor-killing technology is still undergoing testing, said Yan Zhiying, a bacteriologist at the Chengdu Institute of Biology and the lead researcher on the project.
成都生物研究所的細菌學家、該項目的首席研究員閆志英表示，這種除味技術目前還處在測試階段，尚未向市場推出。
Large-scale experiments with the solution are being planned in the Huanglong Nature Preserve and Jiuzhaigou National Park, both popular tourist destinations in Sichuan Province.
相關人員正計劃在四川的黃龍自然保護區和九寨溝景區對該方案進行大規模試驗，這兩個地方都是熱門的旅游景點。
The technology is especially suited for use in the nonflushing toilets often found in these types of nature preserves, Mr. Yan said, since water regulations in these areas are often very strict and plumbing is difficult to install.
閆志英表示，該技術尤其適用于非沖水式廁所。自然保護區經常會出現這種廁所，因為那些地區的用水規定往往非常嚴格，并且很難安裝管道系統。
Mr. Yan added that portable bathrooms, while convenient, are relatively expensive to maintain compared with the biosolution.
閆志英接著說，便攜廁所雖然方便，但和這個生物處理辦法比，保養費用相對昂貴。
“This way tourists can see that not only are your mountains nice, but the toilets and the other facilities at the site are pleasant as well,” said Mr. Yan, who said that the technology has other applications as well, such as the treatment of landfills.
“通過這個辦法，游客會發現，不僅你這里的山美，景區的廁所和其他設施也很好，”閆志英說。他表示，該技術還有其他用途，比如應用于垃圾填埋場。
If claims to its effectiveness prove true, the technology is likely to be embraced by the Chinese health authorities. In February 2013, the Ministry of Health issued a draft regulation setting standards for public toilets. The regulations, which prompted much snickering from the public, included guidelines on the number of flies allowed per square meter and the level of odor permissible in certain types of bathrooms.
如果事實證明，關于其有效性的說法是真的，該技術可能會被中國衛生機構全面采納。2013年2月，衛生部公布了一份關于公共廁所制定標準的草案。引來許多民眾偷笑的相關規定標明了每平米允許的蒼蠅數量，以及特定類型廁所允許的臭味水平等具體標準。
On a scale of one to four for strength of odor, four being the strongest, free-standing bathrooms must be less than two — or only “slightly smelly” — while public bathrooms must be less than one and have “no odor,” the regulations said.
在臭味強度的4個等級中，4級是臭味最強的。相關規定稱，獨立式公廁臭味強度必須小于等于2級——即只能“微有臭味”——而附屬式公廁臭味強度必須為1級，即“無臭味”。
