Residents of Kettleman City, a small town in the San Joaquin Valley, have called for an appeal on a proposed landfill expansion project on the grounds that the hazardous site caused birth defects and three infant deaths in a 14 month period, the LA Times reports.
In the town of 1,500, 20 babies were born from September 2007 through November 2008. Of the 20, three were born with a cleft palate and died shortly after birth. Two more babies were born with a cleft palate that survived. Residents cite the nearby landfill which accepts carcinogenic PCB’s as the cause of the strangely high number of birth defects.
The Kings County Board of Supervisors disputes the allegations, and plans to proceed with an expansion of the landfill, which generates $20 million annually for payroll, purchases, fees and taxes for the county.
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