Sharp rise in China birth defects

[FloridaJudy]

Source: BBC News

A senior family planning official in China has noted an alarming rise in the number of babies with birth defects, a Chinese media report says.

Jiang Fan, from China's National Population and Family Planning Commission, said environmental pollution was the cause of the problem.

He said a child was born with physical defects every 30 seconds because of the degrading environment.

The report said China's coal-rich Shanxi province had the highest rate.

The commission blamed emissions from the region's large chemical industry for the problems there.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7863290.stm

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Hey, miners: that canary doesn't look too healthy...

[lib2DaBone]

1. Call Me shocked....

Look at the CRAP China ships here to the US.. with the blessings of our CONgress.....
--------------------------------------------------------------
Toothpaste with Anti Freeze

Toys with Lead Paint

Dog Food with Poison

Produce with Ecoli

NAFTA gave us the SHAFTA... OUT OF THE WTO NOW!

[Deja Q]

2. Well, US consumers bought it too.

:(

Mind you, at one point nobody knew...

[DCKit]

10. The corporotocracy made sure we couldn't find out where the shit came from.

Consumer groups have been demanding, for over a decade, that everything be labeled for country of origin. We all want to know, but proponents of "free trade" have done everything possible to make sure it's impossible.

[liberal N proud]

3. With all the pollution and contaminated products

This is of no surprise.

And now they are selling the contaminated shit here. So look for these birth defects to come to America.

We must stop buying Chinese shit.

[jeff30997]

4. I was already boycotting China's products...

because of kid and slave labor.Now I have another reason to refuse to buy their toxic waste.

[ohio2007]

8. psst...flip over your keyboard..where was it made?

[Jefferson23]

5. And let's see the response China will bring their own people.

Talk about a fuck you folks government, similar to ours on some levels.

[Kittycat]

6. What's really scary... Read the labels on your "Organic" purchases.

I've stumbled across products made in China, claiming to be organic. Organic it the loosest definition of the terms, given the exposure of everything grown and made there.

[Jefferson23]

7. Very true, we shop at Trader Joes for the most part, this past April

they responded to their customers and removed all products from China. Not many stores that I'm aware of are responding in a similar manner.

[Le Taz Hot]

16. May I suggest buying from your local

Farmer's Market or looking for organic produce from California? We have the strictest requirements in the country for a farmer to be certified organic. :hi:

[Kittycat]

17. I do, but I'm in the Chicago Suburbs.

It's not easy to find anything local around these parts, this time of year. I do read the labels of all my organic food purchases, which is why I posted my original comment, and unless there is no option or alternative, I buy US grown goods, particularly CA where available.

When summer rolls back around, I'll be back to shopping at the markets and growing my own. I use seeds from Baker Creek Seed Co, as they have truly organic, heirloom varieties. And although I don't grow corn, they sell corn & soy seed that isn't modified (I do grow soy/edamame).

[elleng]

9. That canary is

DEAD.

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Not just dead, but a mere pile of dust.

[quidam56]

11. China regulates US

Wise County, Virginia coal goes to China to power their Empire, we loose our environment, landscape, water and health; the trade off is we can go to walmart and buy cheap toxic crap ! http://www.wisecountyissues.com THE COAL INDUSTRY has bombed, blasted and bulldozed Appalachia right into 3rd world America. The schools are so old and outdated in Wise County they can't even supply the power needed to run the latest technology kid in Appalachia deserve. Greed, Greed, Greed...

[4lbs]

12. Add in the fact that smoking in China is like what it was in the 1940s and 1950s here in America.

About 20 percent of people in China smoke and it's growing. That comes out to hundreds of millions of people, each smoking at least a pack a day. They have an acquired taste for American cigarettes too.

Then add in all this electronic recycling of cell phones, computers, TVs/monitors, etc. that makes it's way to China. As people there extract the parts for re-use or resale, there is still the issue of the heavy/toxic metals like mercury, chromium, and lead being let loose into the ground, air, and water.

In about a decade, China is going to have gigantic healthcare issue on it's hands that makes ours seem trivial by comparison.

[Vinca]

13. Well, if half their protein comes in the form of melamine, what's to be surprised about?

[JNelson6563]

14. The price to be paid for this "development"

will be staggering. How many millions in China lifted out of poverty thanks to free trade? Probably less than what the suffering and deaths that will take place due to the lack of safety/environmental standards.

But what do we care? As long as we can buy lots of crap on the cheap at Wally World!

Oy.

Julie

[conspirator]

15. The wonders of corporatist capitalism nt