300 Years & Counting 1H KILLS - On The Issues Magazine

WIN SOME c LOSE SOMEA Compiled Adaptation of News Itemswith Editorial Commentary by Beverly LowyTHE HIGH COST OFPOLLUTIONFrom the Baltimore Sun:In less than 36 hours inspring, 1990, three childrenwere born withoutbrains at Valley RegionalMedical Center inBrownsville, Texas.Two of the babies were stillborn.The third hung on forthree days, doomed by a gruesome,fatal defect that leavesinfants with an open skulland only the rudiments of abrain.The deaths from the raredefect, known as anencephaly,puzzled Margaret Diaz,an occupational health specialist.She thought the threecases could have been a statisticalfluke. Then she had achance conversation with aradiologist.He had recently performedultrasound examinations onseven pregnant women.Each, he said, was carrying achild without a brain. Doctorssoon learned of at least10 more cases, most of themclustered in this city of 98,000along the Rio Grande. Theoutbreak here and in a surroundingcounty may be thelargest ever in the UnitedStates.Across the river inMatamoros, Mexican healthofficials are worried, too. Twoanencephalic children weredelivered at the general hospitalin 1990, but 10 wereborn last year.Diaz' alarm prompted fullblowninvestigations by thenational Centers for DiseaseControl, three Texas agenciesand a local group of lawyers,doctors and chemists.So far, they have few answers.But some have their suspicions.Long uneasy about theheavy pollution in their sistercity of Matamoros,Brownsville residents nowfear an environmental timebomb has gone off.Like other Mexican bordertowns, Matamoros is strugglingunder the residue leftby years of unchecked industrialgrowth. Its open sewerscontain toxic wastes and humanrefuse. Its factoriesspew fumes and leak chemicals.While CDC experts are consideringenvironmental factorsin their investigation ofthe outbreak, they say thatthe inquiry is in its earlystages and that they do notyet have any evidence linkingthe strange deaths to thechemical stew in Matamoros.And in 1990 in Pampa,Texas, an unusual numberof Down syndrome birthspropelled an investigation ofpollution and set up thecountry's first legal test of anemerging medical theory thattoxic chemicals could causethe birth defect.Separately, a lawyer suinga Hoechst Celanese chemicalplant where a 1987 explosionkilled three workers and injured37 others has uncoveredevidence that the plantfor years spewed toxics intothe air and contaminated theregion's principal source ofdrinking water.But Brent C. Stephens, theplant manager, said there wasno scientific evidence supportingthe assertions that illnessesand birth defects werecaused by the enormous plant,which was rebuilt and reopenedin 1989.And if they think we'll buythat, THEY have anencephaly!ON THE ISSUES SUMMER 1992