Labels on all alcoholic beverages sold in Finland will include a warning that states "alcohol endangers the development of a fetus and your health" beginning in 2009, the Associated Press reported Sept. 21.

The new regulation comes as alcohol has been recognized as the top cause of preventable death in Finland, causing 17 percent of all deaths among 15- to 64-year-old men.

Alcohol causes 25 percent of all cases treated at health centers, and binge drinking also is on the rise in Finland. Alcohol problems have been rising since a controversial 2004 decision by Finnish officials to cut alcohol taxes by 40 percent.

The warning labels will be published in both Finnish and Swedish.