Child born in China with 15 fingers and 16 toes... This is the place where a lot of your 'organic' food gets smothered in chemicals, then imported into the USA

(NaturalNews) A 2-month-old boy in China suffers from a rare condition called "extreme polydactylism" which caused him to be born with 15 fingers and 16 toes, raising the question: Could this bizarre birth defect have been caused by environmental toxins?

The child, whose name is Hong Hong, lives with his family in Pingjiang County in China's Hunan Province. Hong's mother, who works in a factory located in Shenzhen City also has polydactylism, but a less severe form thereof; she was born with an extra finger on each hand and an extra toe on each foot.

Fearing that her son might also be born with the condition – children of parents with polydactylism have a 50 percent chance of inheriting the defect – Hong's mother had three scans performed before her son was born, but none indicated that he had inherited the condition.

The child's parents are desperately trying to raise the money needed for an operation to correct the defect, according to news sources.

Could environmental toxins be the culprit?

Although there is no reported evidence that Hong's condition was caused by environmental toxins, one can't help but wonder if this might be the case. Polydactylism is a mutation which can be caused by environmental factors, and can affect subsequent generations. China is one of the most polluted countries on the planet, with more than one-fifth of its arable land being contaminated by heavy metals and other toxic substances.

From the website of the University of Missouri Children's Hospital:

"When the hands and feet are developing in the womb, they start out as flat 'paddles' that then normally separate into five digits. Polydactyly occurs when this separation process is excessive, and an extra 'segment' is created. This may be caused by a genetic abnormality or by environmental influences."

There have been increasing concerns over the safety of food exported from China – even among foods labeled as "organic."

From Natural Mentor:

"The Chinese regime is a labyrinth of complexly interconnected power struggles. Suffice it to say that corruption is the norm, and thus the food manufacturing sector is rarely held to any identifiable standards.

"Even when standards are set, the government rarely enforces them. The process by which consumers can file complaints is a bureaucratic nightmare that leads nowhere, so manufacturers spread outright lies and get away with it (some even call their food 'organic' without meeting any of the necessary criteria).

"This failure to follow acceptable safety standards is especially egregious in China, where environmental pollution has reached disastrous levels. Even China's own Ministry of Environmental Protection admits that at least one fifth of its farmland is highly polluted with heavy metals and other contaminants. So even when Chinese farmers do follow organic guidelines—which state that no pesticides or other contaminants can be added to crops—their produce still ends up laced with the myriad pollutants from China's soil."

Heavy metals found in 'certified organic' products from China

Not long ago, Mike Adams, founder/editor of Natural News and author of the new book, Food Forensics, ran some laboratory tests on rice protein products being marketed in the United States. Adams found high levels of lead, tungsten and cadmium – all industrial heavy metals – in samples of rice protein products originating in China.

Adams wrote:

"I have personally conducted the scientific research to document cadmium levels at over 2.5 ppm in certified organic rice protein products sold in the USA (and imported from China) as 'certified organic.' These levels have been independently confirmed by rice protein manufacturers. None of the lab results published at Natural News have ever been disputed. In fact, they have been confirmed by numerous third-party laboratories."

Buy LOCAL organic

Buying "certified organic" foods imported from China is a bad idea. Although these products may be cheaper than organic foods produced in the United States, there is absolutely no guarantee that these foods are truly organically-grown or safe.

Buy your organic food from local sources whenever possible, and avoid buying any foods produced in China – "certified organic," or otherwise. It's worth the extra money to be sure that your food is coming from a reputable source, and it helps the local economy.