Metal Contamination and the Epidemic of Congenital Birth Defects in Iraqi Cities

Abstract

Between October 1994 and October 1995, the number of birth defects per 1,000 live births in Al Basrah Maternity Hospital was 1.37. In 2003, the number of birth defects in Al Basrah Maternity Hospital was 23 per 1,000 live births. Within less than a decade, the occurrence of congenital birth defects increased by an astonishing 17-fold in the same hospital. A yearly account of the occurrence and types of birth defects, between 2003 and 2011, in Al Basrah Maternity Hospital, was reported. Metal levels in hair, toenail, and tooth samples of residents of Al Basrah were also provided. The enamel portion of the deciduous tooth from a child with birth defects from Al Basrah (4.19 μg/g) had nearly three times higher lead than the whole teeth of children living in unimpacted areas. Lead was 1.4 times higher in the tooth enamel of parents of children with birth defects (2,497 ± 1,400 μg/g, mean ± SD) compared to parents of normal children (1,826 ± 1,819 μg/g). Our data suggested that birth defects in the Iraqi cities of Al Basrah (in the south of Iraq) and Fallujah (in central Iraq) are mainly folate-dependent. This knowledge offers possible treatment options and remediation plans for at-risk Iraqi populations.

Hiroshima to Fukushima

“…Some authors suggest neurotoxic metals, lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), as the cause of some of the ill effects seen in Iraq people (Al-Sabbak et al 2012). Their study found that the population studied in Fallujah had been exposed to high levels of Pb and Hg.…”

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“…(69) Water infrastructure such as the Mosul Dam and Haditha Dam has been damaged during the fight; ISIS flooded some areas in order to disrupt the movement of ground forces; theyalso cut off the water supply, destroyed agriculture, and disrupted the electricity sourced from dams, Furthermore, they directly contaminated water sources by releasing diesel into them, rendering it toxic for humans and plants to consume. (70) The attacks with explosive devices in Mosul and Al-Ramadi created hazardous health risks by the debris produced from the destruction of the commercial and industrial areas. (71) Monitoring the economic and environmental penalties of war put a great burden on the Iraqi state to access professional health infrastructure.…”

Health and ecological sustainability in the Arab world: a matter of survival

“…84 Evidence of a war-associated rise in birth defects in Iraq is an example of the more insidious effects of war. 85,86 Another striking example is the excess infant mortality as a result of conflict, estimated to be 1%, and equivalent to all battle deaths, using mean durations of conflict. 83 …”