Birth Defect Rate in China Rises 40 Percent Since 2001; Officials Say Pollution a Factor

摘要

China has seen a 40 percent rise in the rate of birth defects since 2001, with the increase largely attributed to growing industrial pollution, government officials said. State media quoted a national family planning official on Oct. 30 as saying that there were 145.5 children born with birth defects for every 10,000 births in 2006, or about 6 percent of all children born that year, compared to 104.9 children with birth defects per 10,000 births in 2001.