Cost estimates of FAS in the U.S. have increased over the years. In 1991 the annual cost of FAS was estimated to be approximately $75 million (Abel and Sokol 1991). In 2002 the estimated annual cost of FAS was thought to reach $3.6 billion (Lupton et al. 2004). A Canadian study reported the annual cost per individual with FASD to be $21,642, and the overall estimated annual cost for FASD at $5.3 billion (Stade et al. 2009). Most recently, the U.S. National Task Force on FAS reported the annual cost of FAS in the U.S. to be $3.6 billion (Olson et al. 2009), with the cost associated with FASD to be much higher. Based simply on cost, it is clear that FASD is a major public health problem.
