| environ. |
biodegradation Breaking down of a substance by microorganisms (在微生物作用下分解物质。); biodegradability The extent to which a substance can be decomposed - or rotted - by bacteria and fungi. Implies that residues from degradation are nontoxic. One of the most misleading claims in business, because shoppers often assume a biodegradable product to be harmless. Some harmful compounds take much longer to degrade than others and the product can harm the environment while it is rotting. Biodegradation may also be incomplete, sometimes leaving residues in the environment which are more harmful than the original substance. Accumulation in the environment of nonbiodegradable (or poorly biodegradable) substances, such as some biocides, can cause serious problems (物质被细菌和真菌分解或腐烂的程度。暗示降解的残留物的是无毒的。最有误导性的宣称之一就是从购买者经常假设生物降解产品无害。一些有害的复合需要比其他物质长得多的时间降解，而且在腐烂过程中生成的产品会破坏环境。生物降解可能也不完整，有时离开余数在环境——比原更更有害物质，有时会在环境中残留比原物质更加有害的物质。非生物降解(或不善生物降解的)物质在环境中的积累，例如一些杀菌剂，能引起严重问题。) |
