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Put a Label on Alcohol's Effects
forwarded by Elspeth ross
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Minister of State (BC) for Child Care Linda Reid visited the Asante Centre
for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Maple Ridge on Wednesday to present a
cheque for $150,000.
The money is to be used for a study about FAS kids in trouble with the law.
The province is spending another $50,000 on new signs, brochures and
posters about FAS at liquor stores.
However, the minister balked when asked why the government doesn't
compel alcohol manufacturers to put labels on their beverage
containers warning women about the dangers of drinking during
pregnancy, as in the United States.
People often drink alcohol in glasses and don't pay much attention to
labels, Reid reasoned.
Then why do manufacturers put labels on at all?
The U.S. Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Acts was enacted in 1988. It
reads, in part: "According to the Surgeon General, women should not
drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of
birth defects."
According to the Canadian Paediatric Society, as many as three in
every 1,000 children born in industrialized countries each year have
fetal alcohol syndrome of fetal alcohol effect - both preventable.
If women don't know about the irreparable damage alcohol can do to a
fetus, they should. Alcohol can cause brain damage; developmental
delays; inability to control anger; growth deficiencies and facial
abnormalities.
"The inability to learn from experiences, adapt behaviour and
anticipate the consequences of actions are common traits among those
who are affected by Fetal Alcohol Syndrome," according to the Asante Centre.
Dr. Kwadwo Asante supports warning labels, but not the provincial
government. Neither does the alcohol industry. We have such warning
labels on packages of cigarettes. Women may still choose to smoke
while pregnant, but at least it's an informed choice.
- The Maple Ridge News
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7/8/2006
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