Samantha Stevens
Soc 202
Prof. Sills
10/29/07

Birth Defects Soaring in China
AFP (Beijing)

Birth defects among newborn Chinese babies has soared from 104.9 deformed births per 10,000 babies to 145.5 deformed births per 10,000 last year. The nearly 40% increase means a deformed baby is born nearly every thirty seconds. Between 30% and 40% of the deformed babies die shortly after birth.
There is a direct relationship between the birth defects and the proximity of the newborn's family to areas of high pollution. Shanxi, one of the most polluted areas in China and the source of much of the area's coal, leads the nation in birth defects. An Huanxiao, head of family planning in the northern province of Shanxi, said that a correlation could also be drawn between the families income and level of education.
These correlations are not "new" news. It has long been known that the more a mother knows about caring for herself and her child, the healthier the baby will be. Access to prenatal care and resources is also extremely important for the health and development of the baby. Families with low levels of education and low income do not have these resources, especially in a place like China, where education for females is not a top priority. And the birth defects are just one of the many prices that must be paid for continuing to subjugate people to the dangerous levels of pollution present in China and other quickly-industrializing countries.