The determination of the content of ecotoxic elements directly in flue gas is important for determining its actual emission from coal combustion. Moreover, in the BAT for large combustion plants conclusions adopted in 2017, apart from tightening of pollutants emission standards, i.e. SO 2, NO x and dusts, and setting emission limits, among others, for mercury, the monitoring of the actual emission of toxic elements has been established with the use of specific analytical methods. The review and comparison of available methods of analyzing the content of elements in flue gases in accordance with American and European standards has been presented in the article. Moreover, the factors influencing the quality of the obtained measurement results were identified.

The paper is focused on the research of ecotoxicological properties of mortar prisms produced with partial cement replacement by ash from energy recovery of municipal waste. Two types of ash were used: ash from incineration and ash from municipal waste gasifi cation. According to the Waste Catalogue, ash is considered other waste, which is non-hazardous and nowadays it is predominantly landfi lled. Negative results of standardized biotests are inevitable precondition for the use of ash for construction products. The results from both biotests (acute toxicity test on aquatic organisms Daphnia magna and growth inhibition test of higher cultivated plants Sinapis alba) confi rmed suitability of cement replacement by ash from energy recovery of municipal waste. Environmental safety of produced mortar prisms is different. Recommended replacement of cement with ash, obtained from municipal waste gasifi cation, is 10% and with ash gained from incineration is 15%. The use of this type of waste in construction industry will lead to the decrease of landfi lled waste. Due to the replacement of cement with waste (from industrial branches) natural resources of raw materials used in the process of cement production are saved.

Flame retardants (FRs) that have an adverse effect on human and the environment have been subject to regulation since 1972. However, FRs emerging as a replacement, are not proving to be fully environmentally safe. Water and sediment contamination by FRs, including organophosphorus (OPFRs) and novel brominated (NBFRs) ones, is a matter of major concern. Due to their common usage, many release sources, and relatively high mobility, they pose a threat to aquatic organisms and ecosystems. This review summarises studies on the OPFRs’, and NBFRs’ simultaneous occurrence in water and corresponding sediment. The main sources of occurrence and routes of entry of FRs into the environment are presented. The newest reports on the ecotoxicity of selected FRs had been summarised in order to bring the matter to attention. The research revealed that although great efforts had been made to study the occurrence of OPFRs and NBFRs in water and sediment separately, there is a lack of research on their occurrence in both media in the same area. Although major efforts have been made to study the ecotoxicity of OPFRs, there are some deficiencies for the NBFRs. Considering their relatively high ecotoxicity, further studies should be conducted on joint ecotoxicity, which may cause synergistic or antagonistic effects.