The Chinese government appears to have taken another step towards recognising the dangers inherent in its reliance on coal power after an official admitted for the first time that there is a link between the rise in birth defects in certain regions and high levels of pollution.
"The problem of birth defects is related to environmental pollution, especially in eight main coal zones," said An Huanxiao, the director of Shanxi provincial family planning agency.
The comments came as the Chinese government announced that it has launched a screening programme in the eight worst affected areas of the country to establish the extent of the problem.
Pressure has been growing for some time on the government to admit a link between coal-related pollution and an increase in the number of children with birth defects.
A study by the government released in 2007 found that birth defects had increased nearly 40 per cent from 2001 to 2006, but no speculation was made as to the cause.
Columbia University's Center for Children's Environmental Health in October released the results of another study in the central Chinese city of Chongqing showing that pollution from a coal-fired power plant affected the birth weight, height and motor development skills of babies born nearby.
Greenpeace China welcomed the admission from government officials that there was a link, after it had campaigned for the issue to gain recognition.
"The statement from the National Population and Family Planning Commission once again proved that coal burning is not only a climate killer, but one of the major health hazards in China," it said in a statement yesterday.
The move provides further evidence that the Chinese government is increasingly serious about weaning the country off coal.
Currently, more than two thirds of China's energy is provided by coal-fired power stations, and it is continuing to open new plants at a rapid rate. But over the past year there has been growing evidence that the Chinese government is willing to shift its energy policy and has repeatedly hinted that it could sign up to an international deal to reduce carbon emissions if developed economies sign up to deep cuts.