Birth defect total in California town now at 6

(AP) -- The local health director says a sixth birth-defect case has been confirmed in Kettleman City, where residents are battling plans to expand California's largest hazardous-waste landfill.

Keith Winkler says the county had not released information about the case because officials felt the state would eventually investigate and more cases could be revealed.

Health officials had reported that five of 63 children born between September 2007 and November 2008 suffered , and three of those children later died.

Last week, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered two state agencies to investigate.

And on Wednesday, Jared Blumenfeld, administrator for the EPA's Pacific Southwest region, plans to visit Kettleman City and talk with residents.

©2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Citation: Birth defect total in California town now at 6 (2010, February 2) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2010-02-birth-defect-total-california-town.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

State to probe birth defects spike in Calif. town

 shares

Feedback to editors