Huge rise in birth defects in Falluja

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Iraqi former battle zone sees abnormal clusters of infant tumors and deformities

Doctors in Iraq's war-ravaged enclave of Falluja are dealing with up to 15 times as many chronic deformities in infants and a spike in early life cancers that may be linked to toxic materials left over from the fighting.

The extraordinary rise in birth defects has crystallized over recent months as specialists working in Falluja's over-stretched health system have started compiling detailed clinical records of all babies born.

Neurologists and obstetricians in the city interviewed by the Guardian say the rise in birth defects – which include a baby born with two heads, babies with multiple tumors, and others with nervous system problems - are unprecedented and at present unexplainable.

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See also: U.S. War Crimes in Fallujah

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