ALCOHOL'S EFFECT ON FETUSES DISCUSSED

Expectant Mothers Who Drink On Rise

The speaker paused and repeated his message for emphasis.

"Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most common recognizable cause of
mental retardation in the United States. It's a cause that is totally
preventable."

The speaker was Kenneth Lyons Jones of the University of
California-San Diego, and his audience was about 100 fellow scientists
studying developmental toxicology. They were attending a conference at
UW-Madison, and the Friday morning topic was chemically induced birth
defects in humans.

Researchers are trying to unravel the molecular mechanisms by which
substances such as alcohol disrupt human development. It's well
established that alcohol consumption by pregnant women can cause
devastating defects in their babies: low weight, small heads, facial
abnormalities, low intelligence, hyperactivity, joint problems.

Showing slides of affected children, Jones noted that media reports
often decry effects of illegal drugs such as marijuana, cocaine and
heroin.

"You can tie them all in a bundle and they don't have anywhere near
the effect that alcohol does on the unborn baby," Jones said.

Despite the evidence, the number of expectant mothers who admitted
drinking alcohol increased from 12.4 percent in 1991 to 16.3 percent
in 1995.

"Unfortunately, we're not doing a very good job of educating pregnant
women about the deleterious effects of alcohol," Jones said.

Scientists suspect the devastation comes from alcohol's effects on the
baby's brain as it forms facial structures and controls movement in
the womb. But scientists don't know why some women drink a lot and
have apparently normal babies, while others drink less but damage
their infants.

"There is no safe amount for all women to drink during pregnancy,"
Jones said. Some risk factors are known, but genetic factors may be
critical. Metabolism may play a role.

(Known risk factors are a mother older than 30, of low socio-economic
status and of ethnic background, especially African American or
American Indian.)

In a conversation after his speech, Jones said research findings may
help educators craft better messages about the dangers of drinking
while pregnant.

"Women are militant about protecting their unborn baby," he said. "So
I think if pregnant women really got the message, they would not be
putting their child in harm's way."