Docs see links, but state officials say it costs too much to investigate

Many of Dr. Susan Davidson's patients whose babies have gastroschisis, a birth defect in which the intestines grow outside of the body, come from small, agricultural towns. She has asked the state to investigate. State health officials say their data show no alarming trends, but they acknowledge shortcomings in how Wisconsin tracks birth defects. Evaluating a tie between gastroschisis and atrazine — or other possible causes of the defect — would be expensive, they say. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 6/20)