Nueces County, TX - Birth Defects 84% Higher Than State Averages

[hatrack]

A study released Wednesday reports overall birth defects were 84 percent higher in Nueces County than in much of Texas.

The data, collected by the Texas Department of State Health Services and spanning a period from 1996 through 2002, backs up results from a previous, similar study that only reported information from 1996 and 1997. "Birth defects were higher in certain ZIP codes than in others," said Texas Department of State Health Services spokeswoman Amy Case. "But at this point, we wouldn't want to say it is a cause-and-effect type thing."

Local grassroots group Citizens for Environmental Justice had a news conference Wednesday to bring attention to the study. Group chair Suzie Canales said the facts should serve as a wake-up call to the county. "These defects are for real," she said. "We need to find the cause and fix the problem. Even with all the refinery industry, people want to say our air is clean."

The study compared Nueces County with other areas in the Texas Birth Defects Registry, which from 1999-2002, covered the entire state.

EDIT

http://www.caller.com/ccct/local_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_811_4841313,00.html

[redqueen]

1. trying to remember when exactly it was

that gov bush forced all those industries to voluntarily reduce their emissions.

1997, iirc.

[whistle]

2. Do the birth defects resemble what has happened say in Iraq

...to new born infants? Is this Texas County one where migrant workers or share croppers work, live, raise their families? I'm surprised there is absolutely no mention in the report what may be causing this anomaly (i.e. pesticide concentrations, toxic air pollutants, manufacturing process heavy metals, nuclear contaminants, etc.). There must be suspect causes and sources. But the report avoids even offering any possible causes.

[Lithos]

3. Hmmm

Wouldn't most of the water be from artesian wells? Given the drought, I'm sure they're pulling up nastier things from the ground. Might be, but not necessarily due to man made pollution. There are several places in the US with higher birth defect and cancer rates as a result of pulling their water from wells from areas whose water has not been contaminated by industry. However, of course man has destroyed the environment and is the cause of these things.

[NNadir]

4. Well water has been a problem in many parts of the world, notably...

Bangladesh. The problem is subterranean arsenic deposits.

http://bicn.com/acic/

Arsenic is a know tetragen. There are many similar toxic elements that occur in ground water via extraction from surrounding ore bodies.

This is a vast human crisis with few good solutions. (The possible inundation of Bangladesh by the ocean may be much worse however.)

Thus your hypothesis may well be correct.