Geotechnical Failures Caused by Human Errors

The West Pomeranian Technical University holds conferences on building failures. It usually takes place every other year and it is well known and respected in Poland. The jubilee, 25th conference took place in 2011. With intent to honor it the author prepared a monograph entitled “Geotechnical reasons of building failures”. It was based, almost solely, on the contents of 225 case studies presented in the former conference proceedings. As with every conference based so much on case histories it presents in its papers a mosaic of various cases. Although each describes and explains the reality in its own way, systematic analysis allows us to find their common properties. This, in turn, enables to categorize them and finally to present ways to prevent such damages in the future. These are the key issues of this paper. Even though most described cases are local to Poland, many findings would surely prove applicable in many other countries, as well. Poland is situated in central part of Europe with sea coast on the north and mountains down south. The majority of the middle is built of glacial (Pleistocene) and post glacial (Holocene) deposits while older formations, like Tertiary marine clays occur on the surface in places as well. A similar picture of superficial geology is common in Europe in the wide belt from France to Russia as well as for remarkable parts of the United States and Canada. Therefore, results presented in this paper may be interesting for a number of readers

The effect of bottom sediment supplement on changes of soil properties and on the chemical composition of plants

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of bottom sediments on the selected properties of the light soil and the content of trace elements in the plant test. The bottom sediments collected from the Besko reservoir was added to the soil in the amount of 5, 10, 30 and 50% of air-dried sediment in relation to dry soil mass. The pot experiment was conducted on a light soil with weak loamy sand grain size composition and slightly acid reaction, which was enriched by a supplement of bottom sediment. The test plant was maize, Bora c.v. An applied bottom deposit revealed in its composition a considerable share of clay fractions, alkaline reaction and low total heavy metal content, therefore it may be applied as an admixture to light soils to improve their productivity. The addition of sediment to light soil resulted to the improvement of soil indicators of acidification: increased soil pH and reduced the value of hydrolytic acidity, improved sorption properties of the soil. A not uniform effect of bottom sediment admixture on trace elements contents in maize was determined. The sediment added to the soil increased the contents of copper, nickel, chromium and, whereas decreased the contents of zinc and cadmium in shoots. No excess of the permissible content of metals in plants used as animals forage were fund in the maize biomass

The application of the germination index in the assessment of the phytotoxicity of bottom sediments from the Rybnik Reservoir

The aims of the study were to assess the phytoxicity of bottom sediments collected from the Rybnik Reservoir. The water reservoir in Rybnik is located in the Silesian Voivodeship. The reservoir constitutes a part of the technological chain of Elektrownia Rybnik S.A. as a direct receiver of industrial and rainwater sewage, sewage from a water treatment plant, blowdowns from cooling towers, and as an essential source of cooling water. Sediment samples were collected with an Eckman sampler from 33 locations. The toxicity of bottom sediments was determined using the Phytotoxkit direct contact test, carried out for 3 plants: Sorghum saccharatum, Sinapis alba and Lepidium sativum. On the basis of the data received, the germination index (GI) was calculated. We found the mean value of the germination index indicated the dominance of the inhibitory effect of bottom sediments on plant growth. Sorghum saccharatum was the most sensitive to pollutants in sediments, while Lepidium sativum was the least sensitive. The Phytotoxkit is a good tool for assessing the toxicity of bottom sediments

Mercury contamination of bottom sediments in water reservoirs of southern Poland

The aim of this study was to assess the mercury concentration in bottom sediments, collected from eight reservoirs located in south-eastern Poland. A  DMA-80 Mercury Analyser was used for the analysis of the concentration of mercury in bottom sediments. Concentration of mercury in sediments was between 0.01–0.18 mg∙kg−1. The research results show that 13 samples are above the Polish Hg background level. Only 9 samples are below the background level. Generally, the sediments belonged to class I and II (unpolluted and moderately polluted sediments). The concentration of mercury in bottom sediments follows the order: Rybnik (highest) > Bagna Rzeszowskie > Rzeszów > Ożanna > Brzóza Stadnicka > Brzóza Królewska > Głuchów > Narożniki (lowest). The low mercury content in sediments is related to absent or limited anthropogenic sources of this metal. Elevated concentrations of Hg in bottom sediments of the reservoirs in Rybnik and Bagna Rzeszowskie are related to their proximity to large agglomerations and industrial plants. Organic matter was likely to be the most important factors controlling the concentration and distribution of mercury in the studied sediments

The content and composition of organic matter in bottom sediments of the Rybnik reservoir - preliminary studies

Organic matter has important influences on the fate of environmental pollution in water dam reservoirs. The aim of the studies was to assess content of organic matter fractions in Rybnik reservoir bottom sediments, and to determine their influence on the content of heavy metals and PAHs. In three sediment samples, the content of C organic (Corg), C extracted (Cex), C humic acid (Cha), C fulvic acid (Cfa) and C non-hydrolyzed (Cnh), buffer capacity, and content of heavy metals and PAHs was analyzed. We found the highest content of Corg, Cex, Cha, Cfa and Cnh in sample 3 (the outlet, near the dam), while the lowest content was found in sample 2 (middle). The fraction of Cnh was dominant in sediment sample 3 (outlet, near dam) and 1 (inlet), whereas the fraction of Cha dominated in sample 2 (middle). Rybnik bottom sediments are characterized by their high buffer capacities (samples 3, 1) shaped among others by the high content of organic matter. The high organic matter content in samples 3 (outlet) and 1 (inlet) and also high total contents of heavy metals and PAHS in these sediments demonstrate that these pollutants have a strong affinity for organic matter in the sediments. Moreover, the highest mobility of metals, from sample 2 (middle), is connected with the low content of organic matter substances and the low buffer capacities of sediments

The possibilities of the environmental use of bottom sediments from the silted inlet zone of the Rożnów Reservoir

The aim of the study was to assess the properties of bottom sediments from the inlet zone of the Rożnow Reservoir (South Poland) and to analyse the potential possibilities to use them for environmental purposes. The inlet zone of the reservoir is particularly intensely shallowed by means of the silts of the Dunajec River. A total of 20 samples were collected from the designated cross-sections. In air-dry samples of the sediments, granulometric composition, pH electrolytic conductivity (EC), sorption properties, organic carbon carbonates and macroelements content were determined. Bottom sediments from the Rożnow Reservoir indicate a great potential possibility to use them for environmental purposes (agriculture, reclamation). However, in order to fully evaluate the possibility of bottom sediment management, it is necessary to carry out an analysis of the ecological risk related to the content of heavy metals, PAHs, PCBs and to evaluate their eco-toxicity. Moreover, the main barriers to the environmental application of bottom sediments are a lack of appropriate legislation

Gospodarka światowa w dobie globalizacji

Praca recenzowana / peer-reviewed pape

Consensus on methods of development of clinical practice guidelines in oncology under the auspices of Maria Sklodowska-Curie National Research Institute of Oncology and the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System

Introduction.As the changes leading to improvement of cancer care in Poland have shown the need to introduce clinical practice guidelines into the health care system, it has become clear that no methodological standard of the process for guidelines preparation has been established so far. The following process aims to present a unified and comprehensive clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) development methodology. Materials and methods.A review of globally recognised methods used by guideline development groups was prepared, informing the discussion during three plenary meetings and extensive consultations in writing. The resulting document was unanimously approved by a group of 24 methodologists and clinical experts, and has been formally recognized as a standard for CPGs development by the management of the National Institute of Oncology and the Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Tariff System. Results.Within the process, 43 recommendations were formulated to create unified and comprehensive rules for guideline development within the Polish healthcare system. Conclusions.The presented methods are consistent with the globally recognized tools and methods of guideline development, such as GRADE and ADAPTE, and follow quality criteria described by AGREE II. The process supports the development of high-quality guidelines within a resource-constrained setting by allowing to choose between adoption, adaptation, or de novo development of either the whole document of guidelines or particular recommendations

Formal basis and practice of conducting engineering geological and geotechnical investigations in Poland

The changing legal conditions for soil investigation are reflected in the practice of their implementation. This, in turn, affects the quality of the investigation results, andultimately the possibility of obtaininga picture of soil conditions close to reality. Under the current legal framework, three types of soil investigation reports are prepared. It is important to stage their implementation correctly. The amendment to the Construction Law in 2020 may facilitate this, provided that the role of the Geotechnical Opinionin the soiltestingprocess is increased and the proper investor's supervision over the soil investigations is ensured