Mountain Top Removal VS Birth Defects

Grade Level at Time of Presentation

Secondary School

Institution

Project Lead The Way - Kentucky

KY House District #

95

KY Senate District #

29

Abstract

Even with today’s medical and technological advances, birth defects still occur on a day to day basis. Within the United States, birth defects affect 1 in every 33 babies. The most common birth defects include heart defects, spina bifida, cleft palate, clubfoot, and congenital dislocated hip. However, the health impacts on people living in the areas affected my mountaintop removal begin even before birth. Children born in counties home to mountaintop mining are 24 percent more likely to have birth defects. The air contaminants released by mountaintop removal are known to impair fetal development, particularly in the circulatory/respiratory, central nervous, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and “other” systems. This is particularly seen in the Appalachian region, including the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. In this investigation, an evaluation of previously performed studies will be used to assess the correlation between birth defects in the Appalachian Region and mountaintop removal. In areas surrounding mountaintop removal projects, birth defects tend to occur more often as contaminants released throughout the project harm the systems in the human body more so than that of other areas. In our study, various sources, such as figures and articles, will be utilized to draw conclusions and propose solutions to this problem. Upon finishing this study, further research and consideration should become a priority to doctors, researchers, and government officials in the Appalachian Regions in order to work on solutions to diminish the rates at which birth defects occur.

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Mountain Top Removal VS Birth Defects

Even with today’s medical and technological advances, birth defects still occur on a day to day basis. Within the United States, birth defects affect 1 in every 33 babies. The most common birth defects include heart defects, spina bifida, cleft palate, clubfoot, and congenital dislocated hip. However, the health impacts on people living in the areas affected my mountaintop removal begin even before birth. Children born in counties home to mountaintop mining are 24 percent more likely to have birth defects. The air contaminants released by mountaintop removal are known to impair fetal development, particularly in the circulatory/respiratory, central nervous, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and “other” systems. This is particularly seen in the Appalachian region, including the states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. In this investigation, an evaluation of previously performed studies will be used to assess the correlation between birth defects in the Appalachian Region and mountaintop removal. In areas surrounding mountaintop removal projects, birth defects tend to occur more often as contaminants released throughout the project harm the systems in the human body more so than that of other areas. In our study, various sources, such as figures and articles, will be utilized to draw conclusions and propose solutions to this problem. Upon finishing this study, further research and consideration should become a priority to doctors, researchers, and government officials in the Appalachian Regions in order to work on solutions to diminish the rates at which birth defects occur.