According to a recent study by researchers at Washington State U. and West Virginia U., birth defects appear to be more common in areas of mountaintop coal mining and are on the rise as the practice becomes more common.

The study is based on an analysis of more than 1.8 million birth records between 1996 and 2003. The study compared the incidence of birth defects in mountaintop mining areas, other mining areas and areas without mining. The researchers were led by health economist and associate professor in WSU’s College of Pharmacy, Melissa Ahern. Research found 235 birth defects per 10,000 births where mountaintop mining is most common in four central Appalachian states. A rate almost double that of non-mining areas with a rate of 144 defects per 10,000.

Mountaintop mining has increased during the last few years, Ahern said. A higher demand for fuel has led to a 250-percent increase in mountaintop mining between 1985 and 2005.

“Residents of the region tend to have less education, less prenatal care, more smoking and more alcohol use during pregnancy,” Eric Sorensen said in a WSU news release on the topic. “After controlling for socioeconomic and behavioral risks, the researchers still found residents in mountaintop mining areas had significantly higher rates of birth defects.” According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), mountaintop mining has negative affects including many environmental factors.

“Mountaintop removal is a form of surface coal mining in which explosives are used to access coal seams, generating large volumes of waste that bury adjacent streams,” the EPA website said. “The resulting waste that then fills valleys and streams can significantly compromise water quality, often causing permanent damage to ecosystems and rendering streams unfit for swimming, fishing and drinking. It is estimated that almost 2,000 miles of Appalachian headwater streams have been buried by mountaintop coal mining.” Counties near mountaintop mining areas had higher rates of birth defects, Ahern said. Birth defects included circulatory/respiratory, central nervous system, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal and urogenital defects. “Circulatory and respiratory effects really stood out,” Ahern said in a USA Today article. “These are costly to the health care system and involve a lot of human suffering. I would think public health officials would be interested.”