Scientists have urged couples to have premarital check-ups and regular fetus tests during pregnancy, as the rate of birth defects on the mainland has soared. The national rate rose from 104.9 per 10,000 births in 2001 to 145.5 per 10,000 last year, representing a 38.7 per cent jump, according to Jiang Fan , deputy director of the National Population and Family Planning Commission. Mr Jiang said infants with congenital defects accounted for 4 to 6 per cent of all births every year, with an average of one such child born every 30 seconds. Professor Wu Chaoqun , of Fudan University's department of genetics and genetic engineering, linked the increased rate of birth defects to worsening environmental conditions and a decline in the proportion of couples having physical check-ups before marriage. 'There are many factors related to birth defects - heredity is one,' Professor Wu said. 'In our research we found that environmental pollution is the biggest acquired element.' Wu Cangping , a Renmin University professor who co-drafted a report on the national population development strategy, told China Business News that there were more birth defects in rural areas because pollution had spread to the countryside, where medical care was not as good as in urban areas. In Shanxi , which recorded the mainland's highest birth defect rate, the province's top family planning official identified a correlation between birth defects and areas of environmental degradation. Eight coal mining areas in the province registered rates well above the national average. Professor Wu said couples should have premarital check-ups 'to avoid having babies with inherited diseases', such as heart disease, Down's syndrome and cleft palates. In 2003, Beijing lifted the requirement on compulsory premarital examinations for inherited diseases, mental disorders or sexually transmitted diseases. The birth defect rate has reportedly climbed as the rate of people voluntarily having the check-ups has declined. In Shanghai alone, only 3 per cent of couples had the tests in 2005, compared with 98 per cent when it was still compulsory. The city's birth defect rate has since risen to more than 6 per cent. According to Mr Jiang, only 20 to 30 per cent of babies born with defects can be cured or treated. About 40 per cent suffer lifelong disabilities while the remaining 30 to 40 per cent die shortly after birth. Pollution's toll The costs of the mainland's economic growth include severe pollution and environmental degradation Air pollution The air in many mainland cities is among the most polluted in the world Acid rain Caused mostly by emissions from burning coal, acid rain damages buildings and crops across about 30 per cent of the mainland Desertified areas At current rates, the desert in northern China will bury an area greater than the size of Beijing municipality every five year Water pollution and scarcity Water scarcity in the north is exacerbated by heavy pollution. Many of the mostpolluted rivers pass through densely populated areas in the north Water security More than 600 million people live in provinces facing water shortages SOURCE: THE NEW YORK TIMES
