in the past three years, ten babies have been born with birth defects. three of those children have died. small town, troubling numbers. troubling for mothers like maria salcedo and darya hernandez. daria s son jarrell was born with a cleft pallet. when you look at these pictures as a mom, how does it make you feel? translator: it makes me sad because i look at them, and i remember what we had to go through. it was difficult for him to eat. reporter: maria s daughter ashley also had a cleft pallet. she died. when you knew she didn t have a strong immune system and that you were losing her, what did you say to her? translator: i apologized for not taking her earlier to the
health problems. special investigation units kyra phillips takes us on a journey to kettleman city for answers. reporter: how do we know if a birth defect is more than one mother s misery? it s such a small town, and such a large problem. we want to give our children life, not death. reporter: how do we know if maria salcedo s misery is part of a pattern? maria is not alone in the farming community of kettleman city, california. her misery has company. when you re driving through the san joaquin valley here in california, it s beautiful. it s green, it s lush, and there is rolling hills.
against us. i thought that i had delivered with the health investigation to some people apparently that s not good enough. would you feel kettleman city. would you feel comfortable if your wife was pregnant and living in kettleman city? i can t answer that. i don t think that s a fair question. maria salcedo echoes the mothers of kettleman city. translator: i want a response, and i want it quickly. nobody s given us any answers and children continue to be born sick. now california s governor arnold schwarzenegger has stepped in demanding not only an investigation from the california department of public health and the epa also. so far waste management s toxic waste dump in kettleman has still not been granted a permit to expand. we ll follow the story. grande health care reform. the newest flavor for starbucks and its ceo is pretty happy with
kettleman city right now? i can t answer that question. i don t think that s a fair question. reporter: maria salcedo echoes the mothers of kettleman city. reporter: i want a response, and i want it quickly. nobody has given us any answers. and children continue to be born sick. kyra phillips is joining us right now. and kyra, does anyone know what is causing the birth defects? do they know for sure? no. no one knows what is causing the birth defects, campbell. the known cause of birth defects include genetics, smoking, alcohol, diabetes, and environmental factors. and as of right now, since our investigation, the governor of california, arnold schwarzenegger, has said i don t want to see anything happen in a further manner with regard to the expansion of this dump until an investigation is done both by the california department of public health and the epa.
california is the most environmentally friendly state in the u.s., but one small farming town may be wondering where their friends are. i m talking about kettleman city. you may never have heard of it, but when you see what s happening to the children this you can t help, but want to know more. reporter: is more than one mother s misery. translator: it s such a small town and such a large problem. we want to give our children life, not death. reporter: how do we know if maria salcedo s misery is part of a pattern? maria is not alone in the farming community of kettleman city, california.