Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

[Sherberty]

So I've done my research and there's no safe level of alcohol exposure for stopping fetal alcohol syndrome.

I've read published scientific papers where they've assessed exposure for those at risk of high exposure in the work place, I. E. Health care workers in hospitals with no windows etc and the results were quite alarming.

But... Surely if high exposure in these settings and in other potentially high exposure settings like pubs/bars exists, which it does, then surely women in those professions would more often than not have children with fetal alcohol syndrome? And if this is true then surely this would be well documented and measures put in place but nothing is?

...how can a pregnant woman expose her baby to alcohol without drinking it?

I don't really understand your logic.

Well the research says the fumes from santiser gel and also it's absorption are the the routes when it's not been voluntarily ingested.

So a health care worker who sanitises 30 times per day on average in addition to those around her are subject to more fumes and therfore a bar worker would be subject to excessive fumes to.

I used to be a health care worker and I managed to get through entire shifts without resorting to alcohol.
Although it would have been more fun if I was drunk . . .

@Redshoeblueshoe Although it would have been more fun if I was drunk . . . 😂

Thank you for taking my post the way I intended

You what now? Fetal alcohol syndrome is found in cases where mothers were proper vodka swilling alcoholics, not where someone had a Chardonnay too many or used fucking hand gel!

Sorry, that sounded a bit harsh, but really you need to get a grip. FAS is rare and linked to extreme alcohol intake during pregnancy. It won't possibly be caused by sanitiser fumes.

What @CokeEnStock said.

Having cared for a few children that were living with the effects of FAS and being privy to their maternal history the common link was excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

Not the odd glass of wine. Or 3.

. FAS is rare and linked to extreme alcohol intake during pregnancy. It won't possibly be caused by sanitiser fumes. I think you'll find that the science proves you wrong

@CokeEnStock also it's a shame you've resorted so quickly to such rudeness as had you bit your keyboard bashing digits you'd have realised that this is a discussion and only questions were asked to come to a formed opinion. I'd happily rate your contribution if you could direct me to the science behind your claim.

Oh for goodness sake. Get a grip, woman.

My great aunt was an alcoholic and two of her three children have fetal alcohol syndrome. Have you ever met anyone with it? It's not something you get from a glass of wine while pregnant or fucking hand sanitizer, it's a devastating condition produced by serious alcoholism in pregnancy. With the third child she drank 'normally', for the period, and the child is pretty much a bona fide genius.

In the 60s and 70s lots of women drank (and smoked) while pregnant. I have photos of my mother (never a big drinker) drinking a martini while heavily pregnant with me. There's not a whole generation of middle-aged people with FAS, is there?

Definitely a good idea to avoid alcohol while pregnant, but not hand sanitizer! There's thankfully no evidence yet that covid causes birth anomalies, but I would be much more worried about getting an unknown virus for the first time in the first trimester than being exposed to a minuscule amount of alcohol.

Could you link to the studies that evidence a credible link between hand sanitiser and FAS?

CokeEnStock is spot on.
When I had my first child in the 80's my gp asked what did I drink. I said Guinness. He said fine, you don't need to stop.
Even now all the experts disagree on what is a safe amount of alcohol to consume whilst pregnant. That's why some of them say none, because they can't be added to discuss it.

Because these

www.reliasmedia.com/articles/141233-researchers-to-fda-alcohol-hand-rubs-pose-no-risk-to-pregnant-hcws

www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0273230015300258

suggest the exact opposite of what you claim.

i have taken care of babies with fetal alcohol syndrome. The mothers were all very heavy drinkers, often drinking all day long. You say there is no safe level of alcohol, thats not exactly true, its not known what a safe level is, and it would vary from one mother to another. No one has ever gotten drunk from alcohol fumes, and the risk of damage to a fetus must be vanishing small.

Most of those studies do report 'excessive' use of alcohol based hand sanitiser, by excessive they were doing up to 30 applications in an 1hour time frame. Not your general usage and also by working in a bar you are only exposed to alcohol in the air, unless your rubbing it onto your skin repeatedly and then I think there's bigger issues to worry about.

So are you asking because you're pregnant and want a drink or are you wanting an argument?

By that logical every baby born in the last 6m has been exposed to hand-gel multiple time a day so we should see an explosion of cases!

FAS is rare. I have worked for two decades with families in an area ranking very highly on the deprivation index, where maternal alcoholism is not as rare as one would hope. I still have only come across a few babies and children with FAS.
Are you worried for yourself on account of exposure to alcohol in a professional setting complying with covid protocol? Soap and water is an excellent alternative to sanitised.

I think sanitizers that have alcohol would have more fumes than wine or beer. They are designed to evaporate and leave the surface dry, I don't think pubs are filled with fumes in the same way. Can you link a study that says there is no safe amount? I think if you are pregnant and exposed to chemicals regularly due to work and worries about it you can raise health and safety concern.

@Sherberty

So I've done my research and there's no safe level of alcohol exposure for stopping fetal alcohol syndrome.

I've read published scientific papers where they've assessed exposure for those at risk of high exposure in the work place, I. E. Health care workers in hospitals with no windows etc and the results were quite alarming.

But... Surely if high exposure in these settings and in other potentially high exposure settings like pubs/bars exists, which it does, then surely women in those professions would more often than not have children with fetal alcohol syndrome? And if this is true then surely this would be well documented and measures put in place but nothing is?

Please do link to the peer reviewed science that suggests healthcare workers using handheld or women working in bars are at rusk if environmental FAS when pregnant

@hopsalong so why does the NHS say there is no safe limit?
@Fallada again in think you've mis read the original post. I never claimed it did I was asking a question for discussion. The science suggests it could. See: journals.lww.com/joem/fulltext/2012/01000/the_use_of_alcohol_based_hand_sanitizers_by.4.aspx
And:
Study Finds That No Amount of Alcohol Is Safe During Pregnancy www.healthline.com/health-news/theres-no-safe-amount-of-drinking-during-pregnancy
"And as the researchers conclude, no evidence of harm is not the same as evidence of no harm: there could still be risks that haven't been identified."https://www.nhs.uk/news/pregnancy-and-child/no-change-alcohol-guidelines-pregnancy/
"although there's no proven "safe" level of alcohol in pregnancy"https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/foetal-alcohol-syndrome/

When you read the research paper in combination with the rest you can see there is no set answer. Yes obviously the results of abnormalities would be lower but my point being that they're not ruled out.

Again I'm only asking questions not making points.

No not pregnant just got me wondering that's all. I am studying toxicology though!