为了应对炎热潮湿的夏天，日本企业正在研发降低体温和呼吸气温的口罩，帮助人们预防中暑。



Medical fears of a heat stroke pandemic during Japan’s hot and humid summer months are prompting a rush to develop face masks that keep the wearer cool. 6park.com
日本医学界担忧，日本炎热潮湿的夏季将成为中暑高发期，这促使人们加紧开发让佩戴者保持凉爽的口罩。
 6park.com
About 1,000 people die from heat stroke every summer in Japan, but this year millions of people will try to survive the season wearing a mask against coronavirus. Doctors fear hundreds of extra deaths. 6park.com
日本每年夏天约有1000人死于中暑，但在今年，大量日本人将设法戴着防新型冠状病毒的口罩度过夏季。医生们担心死亡人数会增加数百人。



The problem is prompting entrepreneurs to come up with a range of unlikely solutions, from high-tech woven materials to chilled masks sold from vending machines, with an eye to what could be a huge market across Asia. 6park.com
这个问题促使企业家们想出一系列令人难以置信的解决方案，从高科技纺织材料到自动贩卖机销售的冰镇口罩，并着眼于拥有巨大潜力的亚洲市场。
 6park.com
Two middle school students in China reportedly collapsed and died in April while wearing high-grade face masks during physical education classes. Daily highs in the Japanese summer regularly soar above 35C with a relative humidity of 90 per cent. 6park.com
据报道，今年4月，中国两名中学生在戴着高防护级别口罩上体育课时晕倒并死亡。日本夏季的白天最高气温常在35摄氏度以上，相对湿度达到90%。



“The number of people suffering from heat stroke in Japan is increasing every year. There are tens of thousands of cases,” said Dr Hideki Taniguchi, a specialist in dehydration and heat stroke who works at the Saiseikai hospital in Yokohama. 6park.com
在横滨济生会医院(Saiseikai hospital)工作的脱水和中暑专家谷口英喜(Hideki Taniguchi)博士表示：“日本的中暑人数每年都在增加。有数万例中暑病例。”
 6park.com
“Animals that don’t sweat such as dogs rely almost entirely on respiration for cooling, but humans do so as well.” 6park.com
“像狗这样不出汗的动物几乎完全依靠呼吸来降温，但人类也会通过呼吸降温。”



Wearing a mask creates three big problems, he said: it stops cool air coming in, which raises the body temperature, especially above the neck; it retains humid air, so the throat does not dry, and people forget to drink; and the social pressure to keep a mask on in front of others means people drink less often. 6park.com
谷口表示，戴口罩会产生三大问题：它会阻止冷空气进入，导致体温升高，尤其是在颈部以上；它会留存潮湿空气，因此喉咙不会干燥，导致人们忘记喝水；而且，在别人面前戴口罩的社交压力会让人们减少喝水次数。



Mask-makers have rushed to create cooler options. Marui Orimono, one of Japan’s largest textile companies, is selling a “cool” mask that promises better heat conductivity with the skin and so a more comfortable feel. It is washable and the filter inside can be replaced. 6park.com
口罩制造商们已加紧设计更清凉的产品。日本最大的纺织品公司之一丸井织物(Marui Orimono)正在销售一款“清凉”口罩，这种口罩与皮肤之间具有更强的导热性，因此让人感觉更舒适。这款口罩可以清洗，内部滤芯可以更换。
 6park.com
Tomoyuki Miyamoto, Marui Orimono’s executive director, said the company originally developed the material for scarves or futons but mask sales have been five times initial expectations. “It doesn’t actually lower the temperature but it feels cooler to wear,” he said. 6park.com
丸井织物执行董事宫本智行(Tomoyuki Miyamoto)表示，该公司原本开发这种材料是为了制造围巾或蒲团，但现在的口罩销量是最初预期的5倍。他表示：“实际上它不会降低温度，但戴着感觉更凉爽。”
 6park.com
Apparel company Knit-wise originally began selling chilled masks as a joke. They are packaged in a glass container like a soft drink and get chilled to a few degrees above zero in vending machines. 6park.com
服装企业Knit-wise最初是为了开玩笑才售卖冰镇口罩的。这些口罩像软饮料一样装在玻璃容器中，在自动贩卖机里冷却到零上几度。



“It’s like a parody,” said managing director Katsuyuki Goto. “After a couple of minutes it’s like a normal mask.” 6park.com
“这就像是一种滑稽模仿，”该企业的总经理后藤克幸(Katsuyuki Goto)表示，“几分钟后，它就和普通面具没什么两样。”
 6park.com
But just in its local area, the company has sold 10,000 in the space of a month. “The reaction is amazing. The phone has been ringing off the hook,” said Mr Goto. 6park.com
但仅仅在这家公司的所在地，该产品一个月内就售出了1万件。后藤表示：“反响很惊人。电话一直响个不停。”



The race is now on to produce a mask that actually lowers body and air temperatures. Mr Goto said he will soon launch a patented mask that uses a gel to produce lasting cooling. Mr Miyamoto also plans to sell a mask that lowers temperatures within a few weeks, although he declined to say how it would work. 6park.com
这场竞争现在转变为生产真正能降低体温和空气温度的口罩。后藤说，他将很快推出一款专利口罩，使用凝胶产生持久的降温效果。宫本智行也计划在数周内销售一款能降温的口罩，不过他拒绝透露该口罩的工作原理。
 6park.com
Dr Taniguchi said creating a social environment where people could take their masks off regularly and have a drink was crucial. He also said that the general public should avoid the medical N95 masks with finer filters that are harder to draw air through. 6park.com
谷口博士表示，创造社交环境，让人们可以定期摘下口罩喝水，这一点至关重要。他还表示，公众应该避免使用带有较细滤芯的医用N95口罩，因为这种滤芯会加大呼吸难度。
 6park.com
“There should be a separation between masks for medical and general use. Regular people do not need high-density masks,” he said. 6park.com
他说：“医用口罩和普通口罩应该区分使用。普通人不需要高密度口罩。”