This is a continuation of the article written by Peggy Seo Oba, click here for part 1 and Peggy’s bio

2000. Tenth Special Report to Congress on Alcohol and Health: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome published by the Department of Health and Human Services and the NIAAA. Pages 282-338.

FAS-foreningen was founded in August, 2000 in Sweden by Katarina Wittgard. It started with a network in 1999 with the support of Dr. Marita Aronson, one of the foremost researchers on FASD in Europe.

2001. The SAMHSA FASD Center for Excellence was initiated. The U.S. Congress authorized the Center in Section 519D of the Children’s Health Act of 2000, which included six mandates (Section b of 42 USC 290bb-25d or Public Law 106-310). The mandates focus on exploring innovative service delivery strategies, developing comprehensive systems of care for FASD prevention and treatment, training service system staff, families, and individuals with an FASD, and preventing alcohol use among women of childbearing age.

Craig Lesley writes Storm Riders, a fictionalized account of his adopted son who has FAS. Picodor Pubishers.

2002. FASworld Deutschland was founded on September 7, 2002 by Ann Gibson.

FAS Stichting Nederlands was officially founded on 23 September 2002.

Dr. Nancy Day of the University of Pittsburgh finds that as little as one drink a day can cause physical deficits. (Study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.) Report in Reuters News Service, October 17, 2002.

2003. CalFAS (California FAS) was founded by Diane Kerchener. It started through a meeting with SAMHSA, who encouraged CA’s three state representatives, Diane Kerchner, Kathy Page and Michael Monti along with NOFAS to start a state organization.

2004. NIAAA National Advisory Council approves the definition of binge drinking as 4 or more drinks for a female and 5 or more for a male.

Damaged Angels by Bonnie Buxton. The second internationally distributed book on FASD and its effectson a Canadian family. It was first published in Canada and soon to be published in the United States in May of 2005.

Dr. John W. Olney of Washington University in St. Louis says even two drinks during pregnancy can cause neurological damage. (From a presentation to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.) (Reported in the Associated Press, February 14, 2004.)

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Guidelines for Referral and Diagnosis. Published by the National Center on Birth Defects and DevelopmentalDisabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Health and Human Services. The latest update on diagnostic criteria.

May 10th, 2004, six Japanese brewers voluntarily place warning labels on their products. According to the newspaper article, Japan joined Brazil. South Korea, and the United States in the use of warning labels for drinking during pregnancy.

The World Health Organization Global Status Report on Alcohol mentions the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure in one paragraph.

2005. Stout, Martha. The Sociopath Next Door. In an interview on NBC Saturday Today Show, she states, “Most sociopaths are not violent.” “They are often have a failure to plan.” “They can be charming.”

Russell, Elizabeth. Alcohol and Pregnancy: A Mother’s Responsible Disturbance. (2005) Burleigh, Australia: Zeus Publications. One of the only non-fiction books written by an Australian birth mother about her struggles to advocate for her two sons. Discusses legal issues and residential alternatives.

2006. The Merck Manual: Eighteenth Edition. Will not be online until August of 2006. Two paragraphs are devoted to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Section 18: Gynecology and Obstetrics, mentions “…increased risk of spontaneous abortion… fetal growth restriction…facial and cariovascular defects and neurologic dysfunction.” “It is a leading cause of mental retardation and can cause neonatal death due to failure to thrive.”
Section 19: Pediatrics, mentions, “…a constellation of physical and cognitive abnormalities.” “After birth, cognitive deficits become more apparent.” “The most serious manifestation is severe mental retardation…” “…lesser degrees of alcohol use cause less severe manifestations…”

The descriptions of the Antisocial and Histronic Personality Disorders (Section 15) are essentiallythe same.
Antisocial: “…callous disregard for the rights and feelings of others.” “…frustrated easily and tolerate frustration poorly.” “…act of conflicts impulsively and irresponsibly, sometimes with hostility and violence.” “They usually fail to anticipate the consequences of their behaviors and typically do not feel remorse or guilt afterward.” “…glibly rationalizing their behaviors or blaming it on others.” “Dishonestly and deceit permeate their relationships.” “Punishment rarely modifies their behavior or improves their judgment.”
Histronic: “…conspicuous attention seeking.” “…frequently evoke sympatheticor erotic attention.” “Relationships are often easily established and overly sexualized but tend to be superficial and transient.”

FASD Center for Excellence produces a report on the economic costs of FAS(D) which estimated the lifetime cost at $3.5 million. Costs of lost opportunities for caretakers and the person with FAS(D) are undeterminable but might be an extra $1.5 million.

On October 25th, 2006, the European Union Strategy to Reduce Alcohol-Related Harm very briefly addressed Foetal Alcohol Disdorders on page 8 of the strategy…
http://ec.europa.eu/health/ph_determinants/life_style/alcohol/documents/alcohol_com_625_en.pdf

On November 20th, 2006 France requires warning labels on alcoholic beverages.

2007. January 31st, 2007: Diane Black of the Netherlands appears before the European Parliment during a seminar on European Alcohol Policies. Dr. Black makes a speech on Prenatal Acohol Exposure in Brussels, Belgium.

April, 2007. ADHD and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) edited by Dr. Kieran O’Malley is published. One of the few textbooks that discuss the adult with FASD, epigenetics, similarities between the ADHD and FASD diagnoses, medications, dual diagnoses, social communication, sexually inappropriate behavior and the judicial system.

May 24th, 2007: http://www.svd.se/dynamiskt/inrikes/did_15531275.asp. [Non-professional translation] “Cuba brought down Sweden at the WHO” Svenska Dagbladet, published 24 May 2007. Geneva.
A Swedish resolution for a global strategy against alcohol has ended in a fiasco at WHO’s World Health Assembly in Geneva. In spite of support from many countries, Sweden failed yesterday to push through a resolution after opposition from alcohol-producing lands, with Cuba foremost.
The Swedish alcohol initiative had been discussed at the WHO meeting and caused
turbulence. From the beginning 40 countries stood behind the Swedish resolution that WHO should develop a “global strategy to diminish harmful alcohol use”. Sweden got support from the Moslem world and from many European and African countries.Swedish public health minister Maria Larsson said last week that “alcohol is an increasing problem in the world, and especially in Europe increasing heavy drinking among youth can be noted”.
But then came increasing opposition from Caribbean countries such as Cuba, the
Dominican Republic and Jamaica. Many western countries were also unhappy that Swedenbased its resolution on a report on the world’s alcohol problems that had not been published in its entirety; only a three-page summary. Consensus was lacking for the resolution to be accepted.
It ended up that Cuba defeated the resolution which the Swedish public health minister had proudly introduced to the WHA the previous week. The alcohol question has now been pushed off to the future.
The question will next be taken up at the WHO’s Executive Board meeting in
January 2008, where no less that six different proposals will be further discussed. The Caribbean lands are worried that alcohol restrictions will have effects on their production and trade in rum, where sugar production also plays a role. In recent years restrictions have come from WHO on both sugar and tobacco; two important commodities in these lands. Now they feel that alcohol also is threatened.
Many nongovernmental organizations regretted that there will not be a global strategy against alcohol.

May 25th, 2007. The United Kingdom recommends no alcohol during pregnancy or conception. [Personal communication from Gloria Armstead (www.FASAware.co.UK) in the UK.]

July 16th, 2007. Swedish brewers including Carlsberg A/S’s Swedish unit and Spendrups Bryggeri AB will put information labels on beer to highlight that consumption of alcoholic beverages may be inappropriate under certain conditions.

The Swedish Brewers Association has recommended to its members to put texts on beer with an alcohol percentage of more than 2.25 per cent, the association said in a statement Friday. Carlsberg, Spendrups and Kopparbergs Bryggeri AB agreed to follow the proposal.