Forgot your password?
Environmental Concerns and Birth Defects Research in China
Given the sheer size of
its population, the rapid pace of its industrial growth and its geographic
diversity, China must grapple with the problems associated with an
ever-increasing burden of environmental contaminants and some of the highest
birth defects prevalence rates in the world. In response to these problems,
China has developed an outstanding birth-monitoring program to ascertain
reliable data on pregnancy outcomes. Furthermore, the national "one-child"
policy has created enhanced pressure to minimize any adverse pregnancy outcomes.
There are regions in China where the documented rate of neural tube defects such
as anencephaly and spina bifida are among the highest ever reported. As is often
the case where there are high rates of birth defects, there are environmental
issues associated with economic development that may lie at the root of the
problem. As a whole, the country is very eager to learn more about risk factors
from the environment and from their own genetic background that may be
contributing to the high risks for congenital defects. This is correctly seen as
the first step in developing effective intervention strategies to reduce this
significant societal problem. A frank discussion on how to work together to
utilize existing technology and to develop novel approaches to help study these
issues would be very helpful in synergizing existing research strengths and
seeding new research initiatives between Texas A&M University System and
investigators throughout China.
