Calif. officials: Birth defect rate in farming town near waste dump appears normal
By APTuesday, February 9, 2010
State: Birth defect rate in Calif. town is normal
HANFORD, Calif. — State officials say there’s nothing unusual about the rate of birth defects in a central California town near the largest toxic waste dump in the West.
Department of Public Health officials reported their preliminary findings to Kings County supervisors Tuesday.
Between 1987 and 2008, Kettleman City saw an average of 1.09 birth defects per 100 live births. Officials say that’s not unusually high, compared to a rate of 0.94 for the five-county region between 1987 and 2007. Regional data for 2008 is not yet available.
Kevin Reilly, the department’s chief deputy director, also says there appears to be no common underlying cause for the Kettleman City birth defects.
Reilly says the state will continue to investigate claims by environmentalists and residents that nearby pollution has contributed to the defects, which include cleft palates.
