Starbucks' head honchos in Hong Kong may have some explaining to do。香港星巴克的老板大概需要出面做些解释了。

After photos of a "Starbucks Only" water spout in a bathroom emerged on the web, many customers questioned whether Starbucks is using "toilet water" to brew its coffee。自从厕所中“星巴克咖啡店专用”水龙头的照片传到网上之后，许多顾客都在质问，他们是否在用厕所用水制作咖啡。

The series of photos, reportedly taken at the chain's Bank of China Tower location, appear to show a man retrieving water from a spout in a men's bathroom a few feet away from a urinal and then using a container on a cart to transport it to the coffee shop。据报道，该系列照片拍摄于香港中环中银大厦，一男子从男厕所小便池附近的水龙头中接水，随后用手推车上的容器将水转入咖啡店里。

Hong Kong-based tabloid

Apple Daily first published images of the questionable practice along with a report stating that Starbucks staff fetch water from the public restroom in the building's parking garage several times every day and use it to brew coffee。香港本地报纸《苹果日报》率先登出这些令人质疑的照片，并附上报道，称星巴克店员每天从中银大厦停车场的公共厕所里多次取水，用于煮咖啡。

The publication, which sent reporters to investigate after receiving a tip, noted that employees filter the water before brewing. It is believed that the practice has been occurring since the Starbucks first opened in 2011.该出版机构还派送记者在给付小费后进行深入调查，发现员工在烹煮咖啡前会先滤水。据信这种做法自2011年这家星巴克首次营业时就出现了。

According to the Agence France-Presse, Starbucks spokeswoman Wendy Pang confirmed that water used to brew coffee at Starbucks' Bank of China Tower location was taken from a dedicated tap in a restroom and put through a filtration system in order to meet standards established by local authorities and the World Health Organization。据法新社报道，星巴克女发言人温迪-彭出面证实，中银大厦的星巴克分店确实有从卫生间取水的行为，但会通过水过滤系统，使水质达到地方及世界卫生组织的合格标准。

"There is no direct water supply to that particular store, that’s why we need to obtain the drinking water from the nearest source in the building,” Pang told AFP。彭对法新社表示：“这家分店没有直接供水来源，因此我们才会从距离最近的地方取水。”

However, she added, the branch is now using distilled water。她还补充说道，现在这家分店使用的是蒸馏水。

While the filtered water may have adhered to set standards, the system may have failed to remove all potential hazards to humans。尽管过滤水可以达到卫生标准，但不可能完全过滤掉对人体有潜在危害的物质。

Ben Cowling, an associate professor at University of Hong Kong’s School of Public Health, told HK Magazine that a filtration system may remove bacteria, but could miss viruses, which tend to be smaller in size。香港大学公共卫生学院副教授本-考林对《香港杂志》说，过滤系统能除去细菌，但除不掉比细菌体积更小的病毒。

Cowling also expressed another concern: “If the staff need to frequently visit the toilet they may increase the risk of bringing other pathogens from the washroom into their food and drink preparation area."考林还说了他另一个担忧：“如果店员频繁进出卫生间，他们更有可能将病原体从厕所带到食品饮料准备区。”

本文来源：沪江英语