Substance abuse has been an issue for society throughout the history. No one race, gender, or people of a socioeconomic status has been exempted from this epidemic. However, prenatal substance abuse has continued to be major issue in America because we believe no other population to be vulnerable than those of developing fetuses and children who are unable to protect themselves. A fetus health and development will directly be impacted by a mother who abuses substances. Whatever the mother eats, drinks, or inhales affects the unborn child. Abusing substances, weather legal or illegal, can cause life threatening and/or lifelong health problems. How a fetus is affected by a substance depends largely on the developmental stage the fetus is at when the substance in used by the mother (Zuckerman, B., 1991).
In the first trimester the embryo is developing therefore, depending on the substances affect miscarriage may occur. If the pregnancy does not end in miscarriage from substance abuse, it is during this time organs will continue to develop and if substances are being used organ malformation may occur. Every organ has developmental period, be that as it may, the malformation will be connected to the developmental stage the fetus was in when exposed (Zuckerman, et.) All organs will be formed in the first and second trimester however, the brain takes longer to develop and thus has the greatest potential of all organs to suffer the most damage. It is in the last trimester that the child will begin to put on the bulk of its weight. Substances that block a baby from receiving ample nutrients due to vein constriction do their damage on weight gain during this time. The amount of drugs a mother uses is an important factor on fetus development as well. Binge usage may have a different affect than repeated usage over time. Below I have discussed how different substances have different affects.
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Alcohol
A fetus exposure to alcohol has been a concern dating back to biblical times. Judges13:3-4 reads and the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, “Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. 4 Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink and eat nothing unclean. When a mother ingest alcohol during pregnancy the alcohol and its other components cross the placental barrier and into the blood stream and amniotic fluid (Guelinckx, I., Devlieger, R., & Vansant, G. 2011). Babies born form mothers who abuse alcohol are prone to suffering from fetal alcohol syndrome (Abel, E. 1982).
Marijuana
Studies have revealed that children who have been exposed to marijuana while in utero later suffer from behavior problems in early childhood. According to the Nation Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), marijuana can affect the child’s memory and attentiveness, causing these children to be labeled with ADHD. There is substantial evidence of a statistical association between marijuana smoking among pregnant women and low birth weight (NIDA.,2018, July 12).
Women considering using medical marijuana to treat nausea while pregnant should not do so without checking with their health care provider. Cocaine While cocaine’s effects are usually immediate and short term on the mother, the effect it can have on a fetus may last a lifetime. Babies born addicted to cocaine come with a myriad of both physical and mental health issues.
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, exposure to cocaine in the womb can lead to subtle, yet significant, deficits later in children. The consequences of using cocaine include heart attacks, respiratory failure, strokes, and seizures along with other life-threatening health problems can also be passed to an unborn baby. Opiates Opiates rapidly pass the placenta, with drug equilibration among the mother and the fetus. Infants born to mothers who use opiates do not have birth defects due to the effects of the opiates, but due to the effects of the opiates do have impaired growth, smaller head size, and significant neurobehavioral dysfunction due to withdrawal.
Impact Of Natural Disasters On Risk Management
Research says threats of natural disasters may continue to rise due to the increase in the average temperature of the water in oceans (Tennyson & Diala, 2016). Weather events will be intense and frequent due to global warming. This will result in rising sea levels and other environmental changes. According to Tennyson and Diala, disaster preparedness is the total of all measures that have been taken and the policies that have been adopted to address a disaster before it occurs and to mitigate or minimize the effect the disaster has on human life. When preparing for a disaster the planning is directed towards the disaster and using the resources before and after a disaster occurs. The activities should help save lives and reducing the impact disasters have on an individual’s human life (Tennyson & Diala, 2016).
The risk of a disaster is the chance of a harmful manmade event occur and have a harmful effect on human life, property, and the environment (Tennyson & Diala, 2016). For example, hurricanes are caused by weather conditions and they become dangerous based on the path they travel and the strength they gain while traveling. The larger the span of distance that a natural event travels after it reaches land, the greater the number of people, property, and environment it will affect.
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Risk management includes activities, processes, and policies so that steps can be taken to reduce the impact of adverse event may have on people, property, or the environment. Disaster risk management is focused on reducing the impact of disasters on individuals, property, and communities through the adoption of a comprehensive process that includes preparing for a disaster before it occurs; enacting effective responses to disasters before, during, and after they occur, and recovering from disasters after they occur (Tennyson & Diala, 2016). Risk managers believe that advanced technology solutions and hurricane management preparedness can help commercial property companies do better to prepare for future storms and decrease their risk of damage (Marlow, Slatter, & Wozniak, 2006). When it comes to risk management in order to prepare, companies need to determine what is at risk to protect liabilities. Issues to consider during the risk assessment process is to ensure code compliance, speak with the insurer, coordinate with local, state, and federal agencies, develop critical parts and suppliers list, and document everything (including pictures of the property) (Marlow, Slatter, & Wozniak, 2006).
Although most disasters are not entirely unexpected and can be mitigated, the construction sector for disaster risk management should be more involved (Bosher, Dainty, Carrillo, Glass, & Price, 2007). Article states, “key recommendations to improve the construction sector in the process are as follows: construction-related stakeholders need to become more involved in groups such as Local Resilience Teams and Forums; risk and hazard awareness training needs to be integrated systematically into the professional training of architects, planners, engineers, developers, etc., and the construction sector should embrace and pre-empt regulatory changes regarding resilient construction requirements.
The construction decision-making process requires a thoroughly integrated understanding of how to avoid and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters (Bosher, Dainty, Carrillo, Glass, & Price, 2007). Preparing for a hurricane or other natural disasters from a risk management perspective is basically making sure communication is established before, during, and after the disaster. Emergency response teams can be created and all have roles they play in case of disasters, have a backup plan for temporary work sites and ways to communicate with employees, and shelter places should be developed and drills with employees should be rehearsed so everyone will know what to do in case of emergencies. From a business point, disasters happen but there are ways to mitigate risks and action plans to help restore business once a disaster or danger is over. It is critical for businesses to have policies and procedures in place to keep everyone safe and protect the business operations and assets.
References
- Bosher, L., Dainty, A., Carrillo, P., Glass, J., & Price, A. (2007). Integrating disaster risk management into construction: a UK perspective. Building Research & Information, 35(2), 163–177.
- Marlow, I. M., Slatter, M., & Wozniak, T. (2006). The Fury: Preparing for Natural Disasters. Risk Management (00355593), 53(5), 10–14.
- Tennyson, D., & Diala, I. (2016). Case Study on Hurricane Sandy Survivors Experience. Scholedge International Journal of Multidisciplinary & Allied Studies, 3(3), 67–75.
