这听起来有些讽刺，不过，炸弹的爆炸是否会造成严重的噪声污染呢？使用手榴弹是不是带来很大烟尘？含铅的子弹不可降解，这是不是很危险？在英国军工产品制造商BAE看来，答案是肯定的。

注释：
grenade n. 手榴弹
degradable adj. 可降解的
mechanism n. 机械装置
munition n. 军火，军需品
stringent adj. 迫切的，严格的，苛刻的
detonate v. 爆炸，爆发
collateral adj. 附带的，间接的，从属的

Environmentally Friendly Weapons

The host: Now this may sound like satire but does the bang of a bomb cause too much noise pollution? Are grenade explosions too smoky? Is the lead of a bullet dangerously non-degradable? According to the British arms manufacturer, BAE Systems, the answer is yes. So they are developing economically sound weaponry, what could be described as environmentally friendly fire. To discuss whether it's possible for soldiers to save the planet whilst killing people. I spoke to Deborah Allen, director of corporate responsibility for the company.

Deborah: We're looking across the range of all the platforms and areas we produce, obviously trying to improve all the mechanisms. So everything from looking at making a fighter jet more fuel efficient to looking at the materials munitions are made of and what their impact on the environment would be.

The host: We have heard about lead-free bullets. That's true, is it?

Deborah: It's something we're working on and it's part of ensuring that munitions if they get lodged in the environment, (they) don't create any additional harm.

The host: So is this partly a response to ever stringent health and safety regulations and ideas about noise pollution and so forth?

Deborah: It's always part of a driver as people, as we all become more environmentally aware and take the responsibility. No company regardless of what they make can nowadays just make a product, bung it out there and forget about it. We all have a duty of care to ensure that from cradle to grave things are being actually used appropriately and won't do lasting harm.

The host: But one of the products I read about was the bang-free bomb or a bomb that wouldn't make so much of a noise when it exploded. What's the thinking behind that?

Deborah: That's reducing the fumes around it when it is detonated, so for the user there's less exposure. To ensure they are safe to use, they only go off when they are required to go off and they do the minimum of collateral damage.

The host: But bombs by the very nature of the thing are not safe to use though, are they?

Deborah: It depends which end you're on of course. What we have to do is ensure that the person deploying them is not put at extra risk from using them. These things are going to be used and that's unfortunately an aspect of the modern world. We just have to make sure that our customer who is defending the country is actually safe using these things.

The host: Ah, so you are saying that it is about the safety, the health of the soldier in the field?

Deborah: That's a key point but also reducing collateral damage, ensuring these things are as accurate as possible. And that's obviously a key point and something everybody gets concerned about.

环保武器

主持人：这听起来有些讽刺，不过，炸弹的爆炸是否会造成严重的噪声污染呢？使用手榴弹是不是带来很大烟尘？含铅的子弹不可降解，这是不是很危险？在英国军工产品制造商BAE看来，答案是肯定的。因此，他们正在发展经济型武器，我们可以称之为"环保军火"。士兵们能否在杀人的同时履行保护地球的职责？就此问题，我与该公司的法人代表，戴博拉·艾伦，展开讨论。

戴博拉：为了改进全部机械装置，我们检查了所有的生产环节，包括所有的操作台和其它地方。我们关注每一处细节，让喷气式战斗机更加节油，制造军火的原材料，以及它们对环境可能产生的影响。

主持人：我们听说过无铅子弹，那是真的么？

戴博拉：那是我们正在研制的东西，也是为了确保军火在使用过程中不会对环境造成额外的损害。

主持人：会有这种举措，是否是基于严格的健康与安全标准，以及降低噪声污染和其它相关的理念呢？

戴博拉：这些都是原因的一部分，毕竟人们对环境问题变得愈发敏感，认为应该对此承担责任。如今，没有哪家公司可以对自己的产品不管不顾，造出来，扔出去，然后忘得一干二净。我们都有责任，确保自己的产品从头到尾都被运用得恰到好处，而且不会造成持续性灾害。

主持人：但是，我听说有种产品，是一种爆炸时不会发出巨大响声的炸弹。怎们想到要造这样的产品？

戴博拉：是为了减少爆炸时激起的烟尘，这样对使用者来说爆炸就少了。为了确保这些炸弹在使用时的安全性，人们只要在需要的时候将它们扔下去就可以了，我们尽量将间接损害降到最低。

主持人：可炸弹这种东西，本身就不安全，不是么？

戴博拉：这当然取决于使用者的目的。我们必须做到的是确保使用者在行动时不会置身于额外的危险中。这些东西即将投入使用，很不幸，但这是当今世界的一个层面。我们的任务，是保障那些为国战斗的人，在使用这些武器时，自己是安全的。

主持人：也就是说，造这些武器，是为了战场上那些士兵的安全和健康？

戴博拉：这是关键的一点。但是同时，减少附带损害，保证这些武器尽量精确，显然也是很重要的，这是每个人都关心的问题。