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野火烟雾弥漫时，孩子待在学校楼里就一定安全吗？文章先抛出这个常见看法，并指出新研究给出的答案是“不一定”；接着介绍研究者如何用卫星图像统计全美学校和托育机构的“烟雾日”；然后用数字说明烟雾日增加得有多快；随后解释为什么远离火场的地区同样受影响，以及细颗粒物对健康的危害；再介绍室内空气监测的结果；最后交代研究者提出的实际应对办法。阅读时可留意 but、because、even 等词如何引出对比和原因，以及 suggests、can、may 等词如何控制结论的语气。

正文

Many parents believe that when wildfire smoke fills the sky, children are safest inside a school building. A new national study from the United States suggests that this is not always true. Children are now meeting smoky air far more often than before, and school walls do not always keep it out.

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许多家长认为，当野火烟雾弥漫天空时，孩子待在学校楼里最安全。美国一项全国性新研究表明，事实并非总是如此。如今孩子们遇到烟雾空气的次数比以前多得多，而学校的墙壁也并不总能把烟雾挡在外面。

Researchers at Oregon State University studied air quality data from 2006 to 2023. They looked at more than 115,000 public schools and more than 131,000 childcare centers across the country. Using satellite pictures of smoke and information about where fires were burning, they counted the number of “smoke days” at each place every year.

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俄勒冈州立大学的研究人员研究了 2006 年至 2023 年的空气质量数据。他们考察了全美 11.5 万多所公立学校和 13.1 万多家托育机构。研究人员利用烟雾的卫星图像以及火灾燃烧地点的信息，统计了每个地点每年的“烟雾日”天数。

The numbers rose sharply. At schools, the average number of smoke days during the school year went from 6.8 to 54.4. Childcare centers, which are open all year, saw an increase from 9.4 to 112.2 days. The rise was fastest between 2019 and 2023. “Our children are collectively experiencing billions of days of smoky air each year,” said Molly Kile, one of the authors.

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这些数字急剧上升。在学校，学年内平均烟雾日从 6.8 天增至 54.4 天。全年开放的托育机构则从 9.4 天增至 112.2 天。2019 年至 2023 年间增长最快。研究作者之一莫莉·凯尔说：“我们的孩子每年合计要经历数十亿天的烟雾空气。”

The problem is not limited to the West, where many large fires burn. The West had the most serious smoke days, but the South and the Midwest had the largest number of them, because tiny pieces in smoke can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles on the wind. The number of fires in the country each year has stayed fairly stable, but the fires have become stronger and burn larger areas. The smallest pieces, known as PM2.5, can enter the lungs and the blood, and they are linked to heart and breathing problems.

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这个问题并不局限于大型火灾较多的西部。西部烟雾最严重的日子最多，但南部和中西部的烟雾日数量最多，因为烟雾中的微小颗粒可以随风飘到数百甚至数千英里之外。全美每年的火灾数量一直相当稳定，但火势变得更强，燃烧面积也更大。其中最小的颗粒被称为 PM2.5，可以进入肺部和血液，并与心脏和呼吸系统疾病有关。

The team also checked indoor air at 71 schools and childcare centers on the West Coast that had air monitors nearby. On average, indoor levels during working hours were only somewhat lower than outdoor levels, and protection varied widely from building to building. Some schools even had dirtier air inside than outside on smoke days. “Being indoors does not guarantee clean air,” Kile said.

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研究团队还检测了西海岸 71 所附近设有空气监测器的学校和托育机构的室内空气。平均而言，工作时间的室内颗粒物水平只比室外略低一些，而且不同建筑的防护效果差别很大。有些学校在烟雾日甚至室内空气比室外还脏。凯尔说：“待在室内并不能保证空气干净。”

The researchers say this finding gives schools something they can act on. Improving heating and air systems can be expensive, but portable air filters are a cheaper choice. Stephanie Foster, another author of the study, added that schools can also prepare plans for smoke events, measure indoor air and change activities on smoky days. Because children spend so much of their day in these buildings, she said, they are important places for protecting young people’s health.

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研究人员表示，这一发现给了学校可以采取行动的方向。改进供暖和空气系统可能花费不菲，但便携式空气过滤器是更便宜的选择。该研究的另一位作者斯蒂芬妮·福斯特补充说，学校还可以制定烟雾事件应对计划、测量室内空气，并在烟雾天调整活动。她说，由于孩子们一天中有大量时间待在这些建筑里，它们是保护年轻人健康的重要场所。

新闻来源

• Oregon State University · Schools increasingly affected by poor air quality as wildfire smoke becomes more common (Oct 2026)
• Environmental Research · Spatio-Temporal Trends in Wildfire Smoke Exposures at Schools and Childcare Centers in the United States (Foster et al., 2026)
• KOIN via Yahoo News · Oregon State University sees ‘alarming trends’ of wildfire smoke impacting schools (31 Oct 2026)

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