They could be the hottest accessory of an even hotter summer.
它们可能是更炎热夏季中最热门的配饰。
As temperature records were smashed across Europe and other parts of the world, portable electric fans could be seen in the hands of millions of people.
随着欧洲和世界其他地区的气温纪录被打破，数百万人的手中都能看到便携式电风扇。
Estimates claim that up to 8 million of these devices were sold in the UK alone.
据估计，仅在英国就售出了多达800万台这类设备。
The breeze that they provide will have been welcome to many, but could there be a downside to this popular product?
它们提供的微风对许多人来说会是受欢迎的，但这种受欢迎的产品是否也有缺点呢？
Concerns have been raised that these fans are just another example of fast technology.
有人担心这些风扇只是快速技术消费的又一个例子。
That is products that are sold cheaply and are likely to be disposed of quickly.
即那些以低价出售且很可能被迅速丢弃的产品。
Research from Material Focus, a British pro-recycling organisation, suggests that half of all the mini fans bought will end up unused or thrown away.
英国支持回收的组织Material Focus的研究表明，购买的所有迷你风扇中有一半最终会被闲置或扔掉。
This is unsurprising as they can be cheap to buy and almost impossible to repair.
这并不奇怪，因为它们购买便宜且几乎无法修理。
Fans contain a mix of different materials – plastic casing, copper wiring and a lithium-ion battery among other components.
风扇包含多种不同材料——塑料外壳、铜线和锂离子电池等组件。
This means that a considerable amount of natural resource is used in their production, and that they can be complex to recycle and dispose of sustainably.
这意味着它们的生产使用了大量自然资源，并且它们可能难以回收和以可持续的方式处理。
There are more immediate safety risks from portable fans.
便携式风扇还存在更直接的安全风险。
The London Fire Brigade has reported cases of cheaply-made portable fan batteries catching fire or exploding while being charged.
伦敦消防队报告了廉价制造的便携式风扇电池在充电时起火或爆炸的案例。
Waste disposal companies in the UK have warned that the lithium-ion batteries used by these devices are often thrown away together with household waste, and that this can lead to fires which put staff and installations at risk.
英国的废物处理公司警告说，这些设备使用的锂离子电池经常与生活垃圾一起扔掉，这可能导致火灾，使员工和设施面临风险。
It's not just fire either.
也不仅仅是火灾。
The Japanese Consumer Affairs Agency reports a train passenger's hair being sucked into someone else's fan on a train.
日本消费者事务厅报告了一名火车乘客的头发被吸入别人的风扇中。
In addition, once the air around you gets hot enough, fans can even make you warmer rather than colder.
此外，一旦你周围的空气变得足够热，风扇甚至可能让你更热而不是更冷。
As the world's climate continues to heat up, more and more of us may be tempted to reach for portable fans.
随着世界气候持续变暖，我们中越来越多的人可能会忍不住去拿便携式风扇。
But maybe we should take some time to reflect on the effect this might be having on our environment and climate.
但也许我们应该花些时间反思这可能对我们的环境和气候造成的影响。
