China Blames Pollution For Surge Of Deformed Babies

BEIJING - OCTOBER 30: A Chinese man passes by a power plant on October 30, 2007 in Beijing China. A report from the National Population and Family Planning Commission of China said that, nationwide, the rate of defects has increased from 104.9 per 10,000 births in 2001 to 145.5 in 2006. The top five birth conditions among Chinese babies are cleft palate, neural tube defects, extra fingers or toes, congenital heart disease and water on the brain, according to statistics published on October 22. It was not clear which, if any, could be linked to polluted water and air. Li Weixiong, director of the research institute at the commission, said: "We need time to carry out research on what kind of pollution may lead to which kind of defects". (Photo by Feng Li/Getty Images)