Health officials from the State found nothing unusual about the rate of infant birth defects in an impoverished farm town located next to a toxic waste dump.
The San Joaquin Valley farm town, Kettleman City, saw an average of 1.09 birth defects per 100 live births between 1987 and 2008.
But according to an Associated Press Report, officials told a packed meeting of the Kings County Board of Supervisors that they had discovered no common cause for the birth abnormalities and facial defects among children in Kettleman City.
“It’s important to keep in mind that this is a preliminary finding, and we are going to be in the community gathering additional information,” said Kevin Reilly, chief deputy director of the California Department of Public Health, according to the AP.
“Our interest is trying to find some answers for these families if we can.”
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