Sharp rise in China birth defects

A senior family planning official in China has noted an alarming rise in the number of babies with birth defects, a Chinese media report says. Jiang Fan, from China's National Population and Family Planning Commission, said environmental pollution was the cause of the problem. He said a child was born with physical defects every 30 seconds because of the degrading environment. The report said China's coal-rich Shanxi province had the highest rate. The commission blamed emissions from the region's large chemical industry for the problems there. Correspondents say the report suggests there is a human cost to China's rapid economic development. Researchers also blamed exposure to nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide and particulates for the increase. "The number of newborns with birth defects is constantly increasing in both urban and rural areas," China Daily newspaper quoted Jiang as saying. "The rather alarming increase has forced us to kick off a high-level prevention plan." The commission had introduced a screening program in the eight worst-affected provinces, Jiang explained.