世界十大产品召回案(双语)
摘自：
Toyota has said it will recall more than 9 million cars to fix faulty gas pedals and
floor mats that can cause unintended acceleration. TIME recaps 10 of the largest —
and most disquieting — recalls to date
丰田宣布将会召回至少 900 万辆车，对车辆出现问题的油门踏板和可能会无意识
导致加速的地毯进行修理。《时代》总结了迄今为止十项最大规模也是最让人懊
恼的召回。
Toyota's Faulty Pedals
Toyota is having problems. On Jan. 21 the world's largest automaker issued a recall
— its second in three months — on million vehicles sold in the . and Europe
to fix faulty gas pedals that have a tendency to get stuck, causing unintended
acceleration. This is on top of a November recall of million cars (and counting)
believed to have ill-fitting floor mats that have a tendency to trap pedals. In total,
more than 9 million Toyota cars worldwide have been pulled back for pedal-related
flaws. That's a lot of cars. In fact, it's nearly the same amount as the total number
vehicles all carmakers sold in the . in 2009. The House Oversight and Government
Reform Committee announced plans to investigate the recall, and whether the
Japanese-based automaker needlessly put the public at risk.
Honda drivers have no room to gloat: 646,000 Honda Fits, Jazzes and Cities
(including 140,000 cars sold in the .) have been recalled to fix a faulty window
switch known to accidentally catch fire.
丰田宣布将会召回至少 900 万辆车，对车辆出现问题的油门踏板和可能会无意识
导致加速的地毯进行修理。《时代》总结了迄今为止十项最大规模也是最让人懊
恼的召回。
Cribs Recalled After Infant Death
More than 400,000 drop-side cribs made by Simplicity were recalled July 2 after an
8-month-old child in Houston suffocated. The Chinese-made cribs had a detachable
side that easily broke, creating a gap between the side of the crib and the mattress
where a child could potentially become trapped and suffocate. It wasn't Simplicity's
first snafu with the cribs. In September 2008, the company recalled 600,000 cribs of
the same type; in 2007 a million older-model cribs were recalled after two children
became trapped and suffocated. In an interview on The Early Show, Consumer
Product Safety Commission chairman Inez Tenenbaum said, "We have recalled 2
million of these in the past few years because the company would change the
hardware, but it never worked."
婴儿床在出现幼儿死亡之后被召回
超过 40 万张由 Simplicity 公司生产的下拉式围栏婴儿床在 6 月 2 号一位在休斯
顿的幼儿窒息而死后被召回。这种中国制造的婴儿床有一可拆开的边非常容易损
坏，会在车的边缘和床垫之间产生缝隙，而这缝隙可能卡住孩子并有窒息的危险。
这并不是 Simplicity 第一次因为婴儿床而被推上风口浪尖了。早在 2008 年的 9
月公司召回了 60 万张同款婴儿床；而 2007 年有 100 张老款婴儿床因为两个儿童
被卡住并窒息而宣布召回。在访谈节目《The Early Show》中，消费者产品安全
委员会主席 Inez Tenenbaum 说道：“我们在过去的几年因为公司希望会对床的硬
件进行更换已经召回了 200 万张婴儿床，但却从没起到什么作用。”
China's Product-Safety Recalls
In 2008, China's largest provider of milk powder recalled 700 tons of baby formula
after one child died and more than 50 others developed kidney problems. Melamine, a
chemical used in the making of plastic, was found in the baby formula; it later
emerged that unscrupulous manufacturers had been adding it to food products to
cheaply boost protein values. Two men were eventually sentenced to death for their
role in the scam. The revelations only further damaged China's reputation in
production. Melamine had been a problem a year earlier, in March 2007, when the
FDA recalled more than 60 million cans of cat and dog food after the death of 14 pets.
In addition to spoiling food, Chinese-made toys were recalled later in 2007; Mattel
took several of its Barbie and Polly Pocket products off the shelves because of
concerns over toxic lead paint and hazardous magnet parts.
中国食品安全召回事件
2008 年，中国最大的奶粉生产商在一名儿童死亡并且发现超过 50 个儿童发展成
肾结石后宣布召回 700 吨儿童配方奶粉。三聚氰胺，一种用于制造塑料的化学添
加剂，在这种儿童配方奶粉中被发现了。调查发现无良的制造商为了能廉价达到
蛋白含量标准而将三聚氰胺添加到奶粉中。最终二人因为他们欺诈行为而被判死
刑。这件事情的曝光影响了中国未来在制造业的声誉。三聚氰胺曾经在 2007 年
3 月因为 14 只宠物的死亡而被美国食品药物监督局召回了 600 万罐。除了中国
的问题食品，中国制造的玩具也曾在 2007 年后半年被召回。美国玩具制造商
Mattel 因为人们对有毒铅涂料和含有危险磁部件有所担忧而让部分芭比娃娃和
波利口袋下架。
One Bad Bump ...
The Ford Pinto was a famously bad automobile, but worse still might be Ford's
handling of the safety concerns surrounding the '70s-era subcompact. Before the car
ever reached the market, concerns emerged that a rear-end collision might cause the
Pinto to blow up — the positioning of the fuel tank sparked fears it could be
punctured in a crash and cause a fire or an explosion. But instead of fixing the Pinto's
design, Ford, in a bit of morbid calculus, determined it would be cheaper to settle any
lawsuits resulting from the Pinto's flaws. After several lawsuits and criminal charges
(Ford was eventually found not guilty), the automaker recalled million Pintos in
1978, retrofitting the fuel-tank assembly with additional protections to prevent the
Pinto from going up in flames. Too bad the same couldn't be done for the car's
reputation. In 1981 the Pinto was retired for good.
油箱的悲剧
福特 Pinto 车是一款臭名昭著的车型，但比这更惹非议的是福特公司对人们对 70
年代小型汽车的安全的担忧的处理方式上。在这款汽车上市之前就有对追尾可能
导致 Pinto 起火的质疑——油箱布置在汽车尾部的做法可能会在追尾时刺穿油
箱导致起火甚至爆炸。但是，福特并没有更改 Pinto 的设计，而是侥幸的认为，
跟个别受害者打官司要比召回 Pinto 更省钱。在几次遭到起诉和刑事指控后（福
特最终并没有被判有罪），福特在 1978 年召回了 150 万辆 Pinto，并对油箱添加
了额外的结构以保证 Pinto 不会起火。很遗憾，这无法弥补 Pinto 的声誉。在 1981
年 Pinto 永远的退出了市场。
Tires, Treads and Tragedy
In 2000, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. recalled million Firestone tires involved in
one of the most dangerous product faults in automobile history — a tendency for tire
failure that caused nearly 175 deaths and more than 700 injuries. The treads on certain
Firestone tire models would peel off, causing them to blow out — which could cause
certain cars and SUVs like the Ford Explorer to roll over. Later that year, Firestone
competitor Goodyear had its own tire troubles: tread separations in certain light trucks
were linked to about 120 injuries and 15 deaths.
轮胎，轮胎面和悲剧
在 2000 年，普利司通/费尔斯通公司召回了汽车制造史上最危险的 650 万个轮胎
——轮胎易损坏并造成了 175 例死亡和 700 多例伤病。特定的费尔斯通轮胎的表
面易分离，容易造成爆胎事故——这会造成特定的车型和 SUV 翻车，如福特
Explorer 系列。当年晚些时候，费尔斯通的竞争者 Goodyear 的轮胎也出现了问
题：某些轻型卡车爆胎导致 120 人受伤和 15 人死亡。
Slaughterhouse Snafu
In February 2008, the Department of Agriculture recalled 143 million pounds of beef
after a California slaughterhouse was accused of improperly butchering downer cattle
(those too sick or feeble to walk to slaughter). Most of the meat had already been
consumed by the time the recall got out. It was the largest meat recall in history and
included cattle that had been slaughtered up to two years prior, starting Feb. 1, 2006.
Thirty-seven million pounds of the recalled beef had gone to the National School
Lunch Program, much of which was identified and removed. Remarkably, no injuries
or illnesses were ever reported.
大混乱的屠宰场
在 2008 年二月，农业部在接到对加利福尼亚州的一屠宰场不按规定而去屠宰跪
倒不能起身的牛（这些牛多为有病或年迈而无法行走）召回 1 亿 4 千 3 百万磅牛
肉。大部分牛肉在发出召回通知之前就已经被吃了。自从 2006 年 2 月 1 号开始，
并屠宰了两年的牛导致了这历史上最大的生肉的召回事件。其中 3 千 7 百万磅牛
肉已经卖给了国家学校午餐项目，不过其中的很大一部分已经被辨认出来并且处
理了。值得注意的是，并无疾病报告。
Creamy, Chunky or Contaminated?
The case against Peanut Corp. of America reads like a veggie version of Upton
Sinclair's The Jungle. After a 2008 salmonella outbreak that sickened hundreds of
people and may have killed eight, federal investigators traced the strain to peanuts
processed at Peanut Corp.'s Blakely, Ga., plant. There the investigators found
nightmarish conditions — mold lining the walls and ceilings, rodents and roaches
running amok, and food supplies contaminated with waste. Worse still, the FDA
found evidence that the company allowed products to ship even after internal testing
discovered salmonella contamination. The result was a massive recall of the processed
peanuts contained in everything from peanut butter to ice cream. The company, which
denies the allegations, declared bankruptcy in the wake of the investigation. Federal
criminal charges against the company are pending.
沙门氏菌污染
公众与美国 Peanut 公司的较量看起来就像是素食主义版的辛克莱的《屠场》。在
2008 导致上百人生病和 8 人死亡的沙门氏菌事件之后，联邦调查人员根据花生
的品种追查到了 Peanut 公司下属的 Blakely, Ga 公司。在那里调查人员看到了如
梦魇般的场面——模具倚着墙或挂在天花板，蟑螂和各种昆虫大行其道，供应的
原料被垃圾所污染。最坏的是，公司即使在国内检测发现沙门氏菌污染之后仍然
让产品上市。最终，从花生酱到冰激凌凡是含有花生的所有产品被大规模的召回。
然而，公司否认了所有指控并且在调查开始不久就宣布破产。联邦对公司的刑事
指控就此搁置。
Tylenol Tragedies
In the fall of 1982, seven people in the Chicago area died after ingesting
Extra-Strength Tylenol laced with potassium cyanide. The crime — which has never
been solved — sparked a citywide panic; for days, police cruised the streets, blaring
warnings that residents should discard the product. The Tylenol poisonings also
prompted a slew of copycats. Over the ensuing month, authorities tallied 270 different
incidents of product-tampering, from pins unearthed in Halloween candy on Long
Island, New York, to Excedrin laced with mercuric chloride in Colorado. Johnson &
Johnson spent millions of dollars recalling Tylenol from stores nationwide. To
prevent a recurrence, the FDA mandated new tamper-proof seals for over-the-counter
drugs.
羟苯基乙酰胺的悲剧
在 1982 年的秋天，7 名芝加哥人在吃了掺入了氰化钾的强效羟苯基乙酰胺胶囊
后死亡。这罪行一直未得以解决，整个城市陷入悲伤之中。几天的时间里，警察
上街用大喇叭提醒居民应当丢弃这种产品。这件有毒事件还促使出现了一批盲目
模仿者。在随后的一个月中，政府发现了 270 多件产品问题事件，从纽约长岛发
现的藏在万圣节糖果中的大头针到科罗拉多州掺了氯化汞的对乙酞氨基酚。强生
公司花了数百万美元用来在全国范围内的商店里召回羟苯基乙酰胺。为了防止再
次出现不慎或故意对药品额外添加东西，美国食品药监局要求所有在柜台销售的
药品使用新的密封措施。
Merck's Vioxx Nightmare
On Sept. 30, 2004, pharmaceutical giant Merck announced it would voluntarily recall
its worldwide stock of Vioxx, an arthritis drug that had brought in $ billion in sales
the previous year. Merck executives said the recall was a precautionary measure
spurred by a study that found patients who took the drug for at least 18 months
incurred more heart attacks and strokes. In 2007, Merck paid $ billion to settle
27,000 lawsuits from people affected by injuries or death associated with the drug.
默克万络（Vioxx）的噩梦
在 2004 年的 9 月 30 号，制药巨头默克公司宣布将自愿召回世界范围内的存货，
这种治疗关节炎症的药物在过去的一年销售收入达 25 亿美元。默克的高级官员
称此次召回是对一项研究结果的预防措施，该研究显示服药此药物超过 18 各月
的患者将更有可能突发心脏病或中风。在 2007 年，默克公司为有关服用该药导
致疾病或死亡的 27000 起诉讼付出了 485 亿美元
You Might Want to Get That Checked Out ... Again
There was bad news in 2002 for anybody who had recently taken a gonorrhea test.
(Well, more bad news.) Pharmaceutical giant Abbott Laboratories Inc. recalled about
750,000 test kits believed to give false negative results. The FDA recommended that
anyone who had tested negative over a period of nearly six months ask their doctor
whether they should be tested a second time. The mishap carried serious potential
health consequences: the disease can lead to sterility in women if left untreated. At
least Abbott gave customers a refund.
你不想再去提起的事情……
在 2002 年接受淋病检测的每个人都得到了不好的消息（至少是大多数是坏消
息）。制药巨头雅培公司召回了被认定产生错误结果的大约 750000 套检测设备。
药监局建议在过去六个月被检测出坏结果的人们应当向他们的医生询问是否要
进行第二次检查。这个小事故造成了严重的健康问题：如果不及时诊断疾病可能
会导致不孕不育。至少雅培公司给予了消费者赔偿。
Դ:
