Any amount of drugs, alcohol damages baby from conception, expert says

NILES

A speaker provided facts about the dangers to babies of fetal exposure to drugs and alcohol that most of the 150 professionals attending a training event had never heard before.

“Any use of any substance during any part of pregnancy will have a negative effect on a child,” said Tim Schaffner, executive director of Trumbull County Children Services, summarizing the message Dr. Ira J. Chasnoff gave. Children Services was the organizer of the training event.

Schaffner said gynecologists sometimes tell expectant parents that a small amount of wine won’t hurt their baby, but Dr. Chasnoff gave scientific evidence that such advice is wrong. Chasnoff is professor of clinical pediatrics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine in Chicago and author of the book “The Mystery of Risk.”

He also showed that the time during the pregnancy when the substance was used will determine what effect there will be on the child, and those effects can be passed on to their offspring. These things were new to him and other professionals in attendance who work with newborns, children and families, Schaffner said.

Read more about the matter in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.