State updates Kettlemen City birth defect report

KETTLEMAN CITY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Heated moments in Kettlemen City as residents demanded answers from state leaders.

                  |   Watch Video Above for Extended Coverage   |

The public health department just released an update to its 2010 study into the birth defect problems in the small Kings County town.

They say there's no common cause between the defects and that the rates seem to be dropping back to the levels seen before 2008.

Kettleman activists say they're living in "toxic soup" and that there are dozens of environmental factors that could cause birth defects. But state health officials say that's not the case.

Dr. Ron Chapman said, "We did a study published in 2010 looking at defects from 2008 and 2009 and we studied air, and the soil and water, the key environmental factors and we found no cause to explain the birth defects."

Chapman says the state will continue to monitor birth defects and will continue to update their data.

In the video, Action News reporter Stephanie Stone has complete coverage on the story.

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