Incorporation of3H‐thymidine into DNA was significantly diminished by treatment with ethanol and acetaldehyde in regenerating rat liver, rat ceils in culture, and rat fetal tissues. Reduced incorporation was especially marked in the fetal central nervous system and was observed with both compounds at levels similar to those reported to occur in human alcoholics. The reduced incorporation of3H‐thymidine into fetal DNA, together with the increased fetal mortality observed in dams treated specifically with acetaldehyde during pregnancy, suggests that acetaldehyde is implicated in the mechanism of teratogenesis associated with the fetal alcohol syndr
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