Birth defects rising in polluted China

Beijing, February 2: A surge in the number of babies being born with visible birth defects has been acknowledged by China amid concerns that pollution could be the cause.

According to statistics revealed by Mr. Jiang Fan, deputy head of the National Population and Family Planning Commission (NPFPC), children born with cleft palates and extra fingers and toes now account for 6 percent of births each year. The number of babies born with disabilities has increased by 40 percent since 2001.

Apart from visible defects, if heart problems or similar other invisible defects are taken into account, nearly 6 percent of the 20 million children born annually in China, are found affected. The figures demonstrate a trend that threatens to cripple the country's socio-economic development.

Stressing on the severity of the problem, Mr Jiang stated that a baby with birth defects is born every thirty seconds, affecting almost one in every 10 Chinese households.

For the first time, there was evidence that China’s fast-decaying environment was taking its toll. China is home to 16 of the world's 20 dirtiest cities. The proportion of babies born with disabilities is the highest in the country’s coal-rich regions, where mining has devastated the natural surroundings.

Hou Daishan an environmental activist commented, "So many people are wondering why, when our lives are supposed to be getting better, there are more and more babies born with birth defects and couples who are infertile."

It is clear that pollutants cause damage to DNA. In an effort to tackle the rising problem, Beijing has decreed that pollution emissions must be cut by 10 percent by 2010.

Mr Jiang said that economic pressure becomes too heavy on families raising babies with physical defects, particularly for those who live in poor rural areas. He added that caring for affected infants costs several hundreds of billions of yuan and if the problem is left unchecked, China would “face the hidden danger of a loss of labor population”

The rather alarming increase in birth defects has forced the authorities to launch a high-level prevention plan. The medical faculty has been called to educate potential parents about importance of screening.

Mr Jiang declared, “Birth defects directly affect the rise of China's comprehensive national strength and international competitiveness, and the economy's continued development.”

The World Health Organization estimates that about 3 to 5 percent of children worldwide are born with birth defects with China's rate dangerously near the top end of global figures.