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Peat and mine drainage treatment sludge can be valorized as amendments on mine sites to stabilize gold mine tailings and reduce the potential leaching of contaminants in pore water. However, the influence of organic amendments on the mobility of metalloids and/or metals in the tailings must be validated, as the leached contaminants may vary according to their type, nature, and origin. The objective of the present study was to evaluate over time the effect of peat‐ and/or Fe‐rich sludge amendments on the mobility of As and metallic cations in the drainage water of tailings potentially producing contaminated neutral drainage. Ten duplicated weathering cell experiments containing tailings alone or amended with peat and/or Fe‐rich sludge (5–10% dry weight) were performed and monitored for 112 d. The results showed that as low as 5% peat amendment would promote As mobility in tailings' pore water, with As concentrations exceeding Quebec discharge criteria (>0.2 mg L−1). In addition, As(III), the most mobile and toxic form, was predominant with 10% peat, whereas organic species were negligible in all cells. The use of peat alone as organic amendment for the stabilization of tailing contaminants could increase the risk of generating As‐rich contaminated neutral drainage. Conversely, the mix of only 5% Fe‐rich sludge with or without peat decreased As concentrations in leachates by 65 to 80%. Further studies on the use of "peat" or "peat + Fe‐rich sludge" as cover or amendment should be conducted with a focus on Fe/As and Ca/As ratios. Core Ideas: Peat amendments enhanced the leaching of As from gold mine tailings.Amendments of 5% peat promoted As(V) leaching, whereas 10% peat increased As(III) leaching.As(III) was predominant at ≥20 mg L−1 dissolved organic C from peat.Mine drainage treatment sludge could decrease As concentrations by 65 to 80% in tailings' pore water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There is minimal literature on how parents experiencing intergenerational poverty view their role as parents and the value they place on children's play. The objective of this study was to examine how these parents view their parenting role and their beliefs about children's play. Methods Thirteen mothers of preschool-aged children who experienced intergenerational poverty were recruited to the study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. Results Parents described their role as guiding their children to become 'good' people, to teach them skills and provide a routine within the home. There were two disconnections in the data including the view that whilst parenting was hard and lonely, it was also a private matter and participants preferred not to seek support. A second disconnection was in terms of their beliefs about play. Parents believed that whilst play was valuable to their child's development, it was not their role to play with children. However, if parents did play with their child, they noticed positive changes in their child's behaviour. Conclusion The views of parents who experienced intergenerational poverty were similar to other reported findings in parenting studies. However, the current sample differed on not seeking help for support as well as not seeing their role as playing with their children, even though occasions of joining their child in play were associated with a positive change in their relationship with their child. This has implications for communicating about parenting issues with parents who have experienced intergenerational poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Drug-facilitated crime in sexual assault situations remains insufficiently recognized by physicians. In the possible context of an assault and in front of recent neuropsychicological disturbances in a child, such an issue has to be considered. The quality of sampling, the use of ultra-sensitive and specific toxicologic methods and a clinical–biological collaboration allow to recognize this form of delinquency whose consequences are both medical and legal. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A collaborative study was conducted in France in order to determine the prevalence of cannabinoids, opiates, cocaine metabolites and amphetamines in blood samples from drivers killed in road accidents in 2003 and 2004 and to compare these values with those of a previous study performed during the period 2000–2001 involving 900 drivers. Blood samples were provided from 2003 under 30-year-old drivers, killed in a traffic accident. Drugs of abuse were determined by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry using the same analytical procedures in all the 12 laboratories. The most frequently observed compounds were by far cannabinoids, that tested positive in 39.6% of the total number of samples. Δ9 tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the most active of the principle constituents in marijuana (cannabis sativa), was detected in the blood of 28.9% drivers and was the single drug of abuse in 80.2% of the positive cases. It was associated with amphetamines in 7.4% and with opiates and cocaine in 1.9 and 4.8%, respectively. Amphetamines were present in 3.1% of the total number of samples, cocaine metabolites in 3.0% and opiates in 3.5%. When comparing these results with those of a previous study performed 3 years before, a significant increase is observed for THC (28.9% versus 16.9%), cocaine metabolites (3.0% versus 0.2%) and amphetamines (3.1% versus 1.4%). This study demonstrates the critical necessity of implementing in France as soon as possible systematical roadside testing for drugs of abuse. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The use of a drug to modify a person''s behaviour for criminal gain is not a recent phenomenon. However, the recent increase in reports of drug-facilitated crimes (sexual assault, robbery) has caused alarm by the general public. Among the drugs that can be used, alprazolam (Xanax), an anxiolytic benzodiazepine, has been seldom observed. To document two cases involving this drug, we have developed an approach based on hair testing by LC–MS/MS. After pH 8.4 buffer incubation and extraction with methylene chloride/diethyl ether (80/20, v/v), hair extracts were separated on a XTerra MS C18 column using a gradient of acetonitrile and formate buffer. Alprazolam and diazepam-d5, used as internal standard, were detected by electospray tandem mass spectrometry. In the first criminal case, alprazolam tested positive in two consecutive 2cm hair segments at 4.9 and 2.4pg/mg, from a 12-year-old girl, assaulted by her father who had sedated her three or four times. In the other case, alprazolam was detected in four consecutive 1cm hair segments at 3.1–0.4pg/mg, obtained from an adolescent who had been forced to prostitute herself. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]