'Bizarre' Cluster of Severe Birth Defects Haunts Health Experts

[proverbialwisdom]

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/bizarre-cluster-severe-birth-defects-haunts-health-experts-n24986

'Bizarre' Cluster of Severe Birth Defects Haunts Health Experts

By JoNel Aleccia
First published February 17th 2014, 4:43 am


A mysterious cluster of severe birth defects in rural Washington state is confounding health experts, who say they can find no cause, even as reports of new cases continue to climb.

Federal and state officials won’t say how many women in a three-county area near Yakima, Wash., have had babies with anencephaly, a heart-breaking condition in which they’re born missing parts of the brain or skull. And they admit they haven't interviewed any of the women in question, or told the mothers there's a potentially widespread problem.

But as of January 2013, officials with the Washington state health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had counted nearly two dozen cases in three years, a rate four times the national average.

Since then, one local genetic counselor, Susie Ball of the Central Washington Genetics Program at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital, says she has reported “eight or nine” additional cases of anencephaly and spina bifida, another birth defect in which the neural tube, which forms the brain and spine, fails to close properly.

“It does strike me as a lot,” says Ball.

And at least one Yakima mother whose baby is part of the cluster says no one told her there was a problem at all.

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“Any time you see a geographic cluster of a pretty severe birth defect, it does make you wonder if there is a common exposure contributing,” said Allison Ashley-Koch, a professor at the Duke University Medical Center for Human Genetics, whose focus is anencephaly. “If there were resources, it really would be wonderful to go back to the families to conduct more intensive interviews regarding common environmental exposures."

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Research has shown that there are potential links between anencephaly and exposure to molds and to pesticides, Ashley-Koch said. Central Washington is a prime agricultural area that produces crops from apples and cherries to potatoes and wheat, which may require pesticides that contain nitrates.

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[dixiegrrrrl]

1. there are no resources to investigate this???

That area has been growing those crops for decades..wonder why now there is a problem.
Change in sprays, perhaps?
It is up wind of Hanford nuclear dump/reactor, so that should not be a problem.

[Bigmack]

2. "no resources"....?

How about we simply NOT build one F-35?

That would free up around $40 million.

Would that help?

[dickthegrouch]

5. How about we decommission 1000 nukes?

Save billions and reap some benefit.
Close Guantanamo
End the 10 year wars in Iraq, Afghanistan

[NM_Birder]

10. Mission Accomplished,

[bananas]

3. Is this the one by the Hanford nuclear site which is leaking into the groundwater?

Or is this downstream of the Hanford nuclear site which is leaking into the groundwater?

[Brother Buzz]

4. Not likely unless it's a broad three county net they cast

Hanford is on the Colombia river, about a hundred miles from Yakima, and the Yakima river basin flows into the Colombia river.



Research has shown that there are potential links between anencephaly and exposure to molds and to pesticides, Ashley-Koch said. Central Washington is a prime agricultural area that produces crops from apples and cherries to potatoes and wheat, which may require pesticides that contain nitrates.

[Art_from_Ark]

12. The 3 counties are Yakima, Benton, and Franklin

Franklin County is home to the Hanford facility.

[Tikki]

6. This should be compared with the kinds of birth defects and diseases that occurred at Chernobyl.

Critters affected by the damaging radiation and exposure to toxins at Chernobyl didn't just stand still,
they roamed the countryside.

The Yakima Valley is plenty close the the Hanford Reservation and if a mixture of toxins from
multiple contaminants is introduced into the environment it can cause damage.

So sad…these babies had no say so in where they were born.


Tikki

[Brother Buzz]

7. Occam's razor would suggest it's agriculturally related

Yakima Valley is chuck full of toxic time-bombs, and now the problem is compounded with GMO shit growing all over the place; DNA promoters are switching on with unpleasant results. Can you say, "Unintended blowback"?

[MrScorpio]

8. There is a military arty range next to Yakima, called the Yakima Firing Center

And on that range, they test fire depleted uranium weapons.

If folks are not familiar with the negative and horrifying affect that depleted uranium weapons are having on the children of Iraq and Afghanistan, they should Google the pics.

I hope that folks who will do that have a strong stomach.

[demigoddess]

9. agree with all of the above

as the mother of a 40 some handicapped child I have seen a lot. With my child there was always the question was my husband in Vietnam and exposed to agent Orange.He wasn't.There was a cluster of babies in the Texas area that grew fruit etc. back in the 70s or 80s. Another cluster in Washington State about 90s in agricultural area. There was a cluster of babies born after the first Gulf war in the late 80s to soldiers who had been there, depleted uranium was the cause. had to see this on a bulletin board at McChord AFB. There was talk earlier about babies born to guy returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who had thyroid problems, probably from their father's exposure to depleted uranium. Many years ago read in Time magazine or something that children born to men who are welders or who are alcoholics have a rate of birth defects/retardation than other men. And of course, Hanford leakage would be a suspect to most of us. Probably a little of all three and they will spend time trying to make it only one culprit and then throw up their hands saying they can find no single cause.

[proverbialwisdom]

11. Penelope Jagessar Chaffer's genius 'Toxic Baby Movie' App demo available now.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152256322561788&id=147639041948185&stream_ref=10

Toxic Baby (by Penelope Jagessar Chaffer)
12 hours ago

Heartbreaking. That no one bothered to tell these women that they are living in this cluster of such debilitating birth defects. I've reached out to Seattle Children's Hospital (we have two of their doctors in the film) so will report back with more details. If you know anyone in rural Washington state counties Yakima, Benton and Franklin please let them know.

...It's one of the reasons I wanted to make the film into an app. One of the features is the Maps feature and people will be able to log on and upload a short video from their smartphone and log toxicity concerns, disease hotspots etc. All crowd sourced from regular people who have to deal with this. Knowledge is power and it's great to be able to see what is going on in your communities and environments. I am thrilled to be able to share this with the world.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=708294545882629

The Toxic Baby Movie App Demo

Toxic Baby
11 hours ago

VIDEO AT LINK

So excited to tell you all that I am turning Toxic Baby into the world's first interactive, digital documentary app! But I need your help! In about a weeks time, I will be launching a Kickstarter campaign to make that happen. Here's a sneak peak of what it looks like! Please share and consider supporting. It's a game changer.

Homepage: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Toxic-Baby/147639041948185
More: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4508048

[proverbialwisdom]

13. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen investigates an alarming cluster of babies born with birth defects in rural WA

http://enenews.com/cnn-horrible-medical-mystery-alarming-rate-of-birth-defects-in-washington-babies-missing-parts-of-brain-and-skull-mother-outraged-at-govt-inaction-affected-area-surrounds-most-pollu

CNN: “Horrible medical mystery… alarming rate of birth defects” in Washington — Babies missing parts of brain, skull — Mother outraged at gov’t — Nurse: “It’s very scary… absolutely something going on” — Cluster surrounds most polluted US nuclear site, yet never mentioned by media or officials (VIDEO)

Published: March 1st, 2014 at 9:52 pm ET
By ENENews

CNN, Mar. 1, 2014 (h/t Anonymous tip):

WATCH VIDEO HERE: http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/health/2014/02/26/ac-dnt-cohen-wa-birth-defects-cluster.cnn.html

What's behind cluster of birth defects?
Anderson Cooper 360|Added on February 26, 2014
CNN's Elizabeth Cohen investigates an alarming cluster of babies born with birth defects in rural Washington state.

Elizabeth Cohen, CNN senior medical correspondent: Yakima Valley, Washington, a horrible medical mystery has unfolded — An alarming rate of birth defects. Sara Barron, a nurse in the region and was the first to report cases of anencephaly, babies born with much of their brain and skull missing.

Barron: “I was just stunned. 3 in a couple month period of time, that’s unheard of, and they’re such tragic, terrible outcomes.”

Cohen: Barron’s shocking discovery prompted an investigation by the state health department, which showed that in 3 counties, in a 3 year period, there were 23 cases of anencephaly, a rate 4 times the national average. (...)

Mandy Stahre, Washington State Health Department epidemiologist: “We have not found an answer, and that’s the very frustrating part because this is such a devastating diagnosis for a woman to have.” (...)

Cohen: The state hasn’t spoken to any of the families who had the babies with birth defects. Not a single one. (...) that outrages Andrea Jackman (...)

Andrea Jackman, baby born with spina bifida: “Nobody’s asked me anything. (...) What are you researching if you haven’t physically called the families to find out? What are you researching? (...) If it just happened to one person it could be random, but the fact that there’s so many different people that it’s happened to, there’s gotta be something that you can pinpoint that caused this.” (...)

Stahre: “We’re still trying to find what may be causing these. Were still investigating this. We’re not ruling anything out at this point (...) We’re considering just about everything at this point. (...) I don’t think (pregnant women should be worried).”

Cohen: But nurse Sara Barron isn’t so sure.

Barron: “I think it’s very scary. I think there’s absolutely something going on that needs to be investigated more thoroughly.”

CNN, Mar. 1, 2014: In her 30-year career as a nurse, Sara Barron had seen only two babies with anencephaly (...) in 2012, while working at a hospital in rural Washington state, she saw two cases in two months. (...) a birth defect that’s always fatal. (...) Was [the dad] exposed to any toxic chemicals? (...) Department of Health plans to report how many babies were born with neural tube defects in 2013. (...) “We’re still investigating this,” (Stahre) says. “This is nowhere near finished.”

Tri-City Herald, Feb. 27, 2014: A genetic counselor in Yakima said she’s reported ("8 or 9&quot additional cases of anencephaly and spina bifida since January 2013.

See also: "Worrisome" spike in deadly birth defects around leaking U.S. nuclear site -- Officials claim "it could be a complete coincidence" -- No news reports mention it's by the most contaminated area in Western Hemisphere #Hanford