Mental retardation is a major feature of FAS and FAS is now recognized as the leading known cause of mental retardation in the Western world. The economic impact of FAS is staggering. The Environmental and Health Atlas of Russia edited by Murray Feshbach in 1995 is an excellent primary source of statistics regarding social, economic, and health issues in Russia. The difference between urban and rural drinking habits was not statistically significant. Adolescent pregnancy and pregnancy among middle age women is on the rise in Russia.
Abortions are common.
It is not unusual to read medical abstracts of children in orphanages with maternal histories of greater than five pregnancies. I recently reviewed 131 Russian medical abstracts. Seventeen of the abstracts revealed maternal alcohol ingestion during pregnancy. The worldwide incidence is 1.9 per 1000 births according to Abel et al as discussed above. The rate of FAS in Russia is potentially eight times greater than the worldwide incidence based on my analysis.