Cyclopian Child Born in Chennai

A one-eyed child suffering from a rare chromosomal disorder known as cyclopia was born in a hospital in Chennai earlier this week. The disorder occurs during pregnancy when the cells that constitute the forebrain fail to develop properly and fuse into a single eye. Instances of cyclopia are generally attributed to outside factors like ambient pollution, radiation, drugs and the introduction of other agents that can alter fetal development.

The pictures bare an eerie resemblance to images of Love Canal, a suburban community built on top of the most notorious toxic waste dump in New York State. While the small town was still populated, several children were born without eyes and cancer was hundreds of times the normal rate.

With waste burned openly in the streets, old MRI machines leaking radiation into local dumps, red alert toxic ratings for the city's air and water, and now one-eyed infants, Chennai is looking more like Love Canal every day.

(Photo originally from the Deccan Chronicle, sorry for the poor quality, they didin't post it online.)

8/7 UPDATE by Scott Carney : I called Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children to get more information about the child. Apparently it is now seven days old and they doctors believe that it may survive. They offered me a chance to see the child in person, and I may follow up this post with more information later this week.

*** Several people have noted in the comments that MRI machines do not leak radiation, this is true. The people of Chennai will have to find their pollutants from other sources. link