http://rawstory.com/2010/03/birth-defects-blamed-weapons/Fallujah birth defects blamed on US weapons
By Daniel Tencer
Thursday, March 4th, 2010 -- 1:26 pm
Iraqi doctors reportedly warn women not to have children; Doctors pressured not to 'embarrass the United States': claim
Birth defects in the Iraqi city of Fallujah have soared in recent years, with doctors saying advanced US weaponry such as white phosphorous and depleted uranium shells may have caused a "massive, unprecedented number" of congenital health problems.
A BBC investigative report has found that the incidence of birth defects in Fallujah has reached a rate 13 times higher than that found in Europe. One doctor at a US-built hospital in the city says the number of birth defects has spiked from one or two per month prior to the Iraq war to two or three per day today.
"I am a doctor. I have to be scientific in my talk. I have nothing documented. But I can tell you that year by year, the number
increasing," Dr. Samira al-Ani told the BBC.
Fallujah, about 40 miles west of Baghdad, was the site of a brutal 2004 battle that was arguably the largest campaign of the Iraq war.
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The Pentagon admitted in 2005 that it had used white phosphorous munitions during the battle, as well as depleted uranium shells, which contain radioactive material.
BBC world affairs editor John Simpson said the Fallujah hospital's maternity ward is "absolutely packed" with babies suffering from congenital heart defects. He says he was shown a picture of a three-headed baby, and saw children suffering from paralysis and brain damage.
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