State health officials this morning reported preliminary findings holding that there was nothing unusual about the birth-defects rate in Kettleman City between 1987 and 2008. They vowed to continue investigating the concerns through various means, including interviews with the mothers and environmental sampling.

Meanwhile, unverified reports by the national media indicated that U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein today called for a moratorium on the expansion of the toxic waste facility near Kettleman City.

In a highly anticipated presentation to Kings County supervisors, officials from the state Department of Public Health acknowledged the presence of concentrated cases of suspected birth defects in Kettleman in 2008.

But they also said the initial review of medical records of children born with suspected birth defects found no patterns to suggest a common underlying cause for the health anomaly or a higher-than-expected rate in the community during the 22-year monitoring period.

The delegation of state health officials is expected to meet with concerned residents this evening in Kettleman City to present its findings and outline plans for an in-depth investigation to concerned residents this evening in Kettleman City.