“Babies born with conditions such as cleft palates and extra
fingers and toes now account for up to 6 per cent of births each year,
according to statistics published yesterday. And the number of babies
born with disabilities has increased by 40 per cent since 2001 –
a period that has coincided with China’s meteoric economic growth
– to between two and three million a year. Up to 12 million more
develop defects in childhood.”
—
“Officials said that the increase reported by the National Population
and Family Planning Commission may, in part, reflect an improvement
in the collection of data from rural areas. In addition, families were
becoming less reluctant to report defects that in the past had been
concealed out of shame.”
—
“The top five birth conditions among Chinese babies are cleft
palate, neural tube defects, extra fingers or toes, congenital heart
disease and water on the brain. It was not clear which, if any, could
be linked to polluted water and air. Mr Li said: “We need time
to carry out research on what kind of pollution may lead to which kind
of defects.”
“The official Xinhua news agency has said that Shanxi, home to
four of the most polluted cities in China and a centre of noxious emissions
from coke and chemical industries, leads the world for incidence of
cleft palates and extra fingers among babies. Poor nutrition and marriage
between close relatives in Shanxi are also cited as reasons for the
high number of such defects in the province. ”
