DRUG USE IS BLAMED FOR RISE IN BIRTH DEFECTS

Recreational drugs and "gender-bending" chemicals could partly be to blame
for a rise in birth defects over the past five years, a medical charity
said yesterday.

According to the Birth Defects Foundation, 45,000 babies each year, or one
in 16, are born with an abnormality.

Half of those were serious conditions such as spina bifida, Downs syndrome,
missing limbs and blindness, the charity said.

The total is six times higher than the Government's statistics suggest
because official figures exclude less serious defects such as birthmarks.

The charity is particularly concerned about the rise of three types of
defects: cleft lip or palate, abnormality of the abdominal wall and
abnormalities of boys' genitals.

According to Government figures, the incidence of cleft lip or palate had
risen from 5.9 cases per 10,000 births in 1995 to 9.2 cases in 1999.

Hypospadias, an abnormality of the genitals that affects boys, has
increased from 7.5 to 8.5 cases. Gastroschisis, a weakness in the abdominal
wall that leaves a baby with its intestines protruding at birth, has gone
up from 1.3 to 1.9 cases. The condition is five times more common in
teenage mothers than other ages.

The reason for the apparent increase in defects is unclear. The charity
said genetic factors were still the most important cause of defects,
although chemicals in the diet that mimic the effects of oestrogen and
recreational drugs could play a part.

Sheila Brown, the charity's chief executive, said: "We believe that the
official figures under-report the number of birth defects. There is
anecdotal evidence that there has been an increase, although there is an
absence of good, scientifically compiled statistics."

Some birth defects are becoming less common. The incidence of spina bifida
has fallen by two thirds because pregnant women are taking more folic acid.

Figures compiled by the Office of National Statistics under a voluntary
scheme show that 7,284 children were born with birth defects in 2000.