China: Birth defects soar in coal regions
A commission on family planning said the rate of birth defects has increased nearly 50 percent, AP reports here at CNN News: Coal mining regions of northern China are reporting a big increase in levels of defects in newborns, an apparent result of heavy pollution, state media said Monday. The rate of birth defects is related to environmental pollution," the report said, citing provincial population planning official An Huanxiao.