Alcohol, also known as ethanol, is a legal substance that causes a person to relax and feel "carefree." Once consumed, alcohol is released into the bloodstream, causing the brain to react, causing side effects. When a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy, it can cause physical and mental harm to the fetus. When a fetus is affected by exposure to alcohol, it is called fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). If the effects are severe, it is called fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Abnormalities occur in the central nervous system, facial structure, growth and neurobehavioral development of the child. The severity of harm depends on the volume of consumption, frequency and timing of consumption (Ungerer, Knezovich, & Ramsay, 2013). About 1 in 100 births results in the effects of FASD. In the United States, 2 to 7 out of every 1,000 births are affected by FAS. In the United States and Western Europe, 2-5% of young children are affected by FASD, while in Italy the rate of FASD is 20.3-40.5 per 1,000 births (Riley, Infante, Warren, 2011). These findings occur because 10-20% of women in the United States, 40% in Uruguay, and 50% in Italy consume alcohol during pregnancy (Valenzuela, Morton, & Diaz, 2012). Many experiments have been carried out over the last decades. testing for prenatal alcohol exposure. These studies have shown that exposure causes various abnormalities. These abnormalities include unusual growth, mental disabilities, central nervous system deformities, and distinct craniofacial disfigurement (Ungerer, Knezovich, & Ramsay, 2013). In the paper "Effects of moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy on placental gene expression", they conducted an experiment to determine whether gene expression...... middle of paper .. .... know where it is needed. For 20 years, the cost of SAF has continued to increase. In 1991, the cost of the SAF alone was approximately $75 million; it now stands at almost $3.6 billion. This only happens in the United States, which shows how much the public needs to be educated (Riley, Infante, & Warren, 2011). Prenatal alcohol exposure has become a serious problem not only in our country, but also around the world. This affects the future generations of this planet and their health. The public must be well informed about the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure and how to prevent it. By doing so, we will save our people billions of dollars and put an end to anomalies among the people. FAS and FASD are deformities that are not necessary and can be so easily avoided. If only people knew the seriousness of the consequences of their actions.