[thedoc (OP)]

Chi-Hsien Liang  asked the Naked Scientists:
   Does India have high rates of genetic mutation?

Sincerely,

Chihsien Liang


   
What do you think?

[alancalverd]

There is evidence of exceptional incidence of fetal malformations in some areas, most notably Kerala. These seem to be associated with high levels of thorium in the environment.

Using the current consensus value for the radiation weighting factor for thorium alpha emissions (20) suggests that the background doserate is no greater than that in Colorado, where the background is mostly gamma radiation (RWF = 1)  and the incidence of malformation is unexceptional. However the alpha RWF is currently under review and in my opinion a factor of 100 - 200 would explain not only the "Kerala effect" but also the childhood leukemia clusters found at some nuclear sites in the UK.

[RD]

There are regions in India where marriage between cousins is more common than ROTW ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cousin_marriage#India
Genetically that's going to be problematic, not via "genetic mutation" , but via inbreeding.