Foetal damage is one of the clearest examples of the second-hand harm caused
by alcohol. The cost of FAS (foetal alcohol syndrome) in Sweden is estimated at SEK 14 billion per annum, calculated on the basis that 0.2% of all children in Sweden are born with
FAS. The biggest share of these costs derives from support provided by society.
A great many researchers, paediatricians, midwives, and nurses in Sweden call for increased knowledge and awareness of the risks associated with alcohol. Our aim, through this report, is to help ensure that prospective parents are able to reduce the risks by being
better informed. That information is currently lacking and no authority has currently taken responsibility for remedying this deficit. The most common reaction amongst people
who have suffered various types of harm is to wish that they had known more about the
risks – that someone had told them. This is a shared responsibility of society as a whole,
and the report also stresses the importance of preventative measures at societal level.