The paper presents an analysis of the possibilities of using glass waste from recycled lighting materials as aggregates for cement concrete. The research material was obtained from a company that utilizes electrical waste. Glass from pre-sorted elements was transported to the laboratory and crushed in a drum crusher. In this way, the aggregate obtained was subjected to the basic tests that are carried out for aggregates traditionally used in construction. The specific density of aggregate, bulk density, absorbability, crushing index, grain shape, texture type and aggregate flatness index were examined. In the next stage of research work, concrete mixtures were made in which crushed aggregate from crushed fluorescent lamps was used as a substitute for gravel aggregate. Mixtures containing 10%, 30%, 50% and 100% aggregate were made. A mixture containing only sand and gravel aggregate was made as a comparative mixture. Basic tests of both fresh concrete mix and hardened concrete were carried out for all concrete made. The consistency of the fresh concrete mix, the air content in the concrete mix, the density of hardened concrete, absorbability, water permeability under pressure and the basic compressive and tensile (flexular) strength tests were performed. The test results showed that the greater the addition of recycled glass aggregate, the less advantageous are the features of the concrete obtained with its participation. Microscopic analyses carried out in order to explain this phenomenon indicated an unfavorable influence of the grain shape of the aggregate thus obtained. Despite this fact, recycling of lighting waste in concrete composites is recommended as a pro-ecology measure; however, attention was paid to the benefits of using only 30% by mass of said waste in relation to the weight of the traditional aggregate used. Composite with such a quantity of waste retained the characteristics of cement concrete, which qualified its use for construction concrete.

A thorough examination has been performed of the thermally induced stresses on a window in an enclosure-fire environment. Analytical and numerical methods establish the importance of bridling stress (due to axial elongation) and flexing stress (due to normal deformation). Most previous studies omitted the consideration of flexing stresses. Maximum stresses, being the sum of bridling and flexing stresses on the side, have been calculated for varying aspect ratios of a rectangular window and for varying ratios of shaded width to the window sides. For uniform width and heating (e.g., represented, by constant high temperature in the heated region and ambient temperature in the shaded region), the maximum stresses are bridling and equal to those of an infinite strip shaded on two sides when the shaded width is less than 40% of the short side. For nonuniform shading (e.g., due to radiation blockage) or nonuniform heating, flexing stresses contribute to the total stress by an increase up to 50%. These new results have been applied in predicting the magnitude of stresses and the location of the first crack in well-controlled experiments and measurements. These results are important because they extend and delineate the limitations of currently used relations for determining thermally induced stresses and times of first cracking in windows.

In many countries around the world (including the United States, Canada, and Spain), research is being conducted into the impact of air pollution on the formation of various types of cancer. For a long time it was thought that the inhalation of pollutants could lead to lung diseases. Now the effects of air pollutants on tumors in the airways, kidneys, bladder, breast, and colon have been investigated and are better understood. It is now known that particulates in air pollution can cross the blood–brain barrier and also reach the placenta. The aim of this study was to find a possible relationship between the emission of pollutants into the atmosphere and the formation of specific types of tumors in the Polish population. Two databases available on the Internet were used in the analysis: the bank of measurement data on air quality in Poland (the repository of Environmental Protection Inspection) and cancer statistics. The pollution measurement data for the years 2000–2016 were taken from the Chief Inspectorate for Environmental Protection website, a database with results from 264 stations located in Poland for 13 types of gases and atmospheric pollutants. Statistical data on cancer C00–D09 (according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10)) in the Polish population in the years 1999–2015 were retrieved from onkologia.org.pl. A novel code was constructed, allowing the downloading of statistics from the databases, examination of their correlation, and selection of the best model of regression through machine learning. The results of the analyses indicate a high correlation of air pollution with the incidence of selected types of cancer. Particularly noteworthy is the observed effect of NO_x on the incidence of small and large intestine cancers in the Masovia and West Pomerania provinces. The other gases and pollutants with the most significant impact on the incidence of gastrointestinal cancer have also been identified. Based on statistical analysis, we found a correlation between air pollution and tumor incidence in individual provinces, as well as an influence of the emission of nitrogen oxides on the cancer incidence rate.

Composite panel walls with both combustible and non-combustible cores were subjected to fire resistance test to EN 1364-1. The results revealed that the combustible-core panels started emitting smoke on the unexposed side due to the presence of joints between panels. In some cases the smoke emission started early after the start for the fire exposure. The start of the smoke production period appeared to depend on the fixation of the panels to the furnace frame; three or four sides fixed as per EN 1364-1. The amounts of smoke released indicate that although smoke leakage/production criterion is not currently part of the standard fire-resistance testing protocol it should be assessed when construction elements with combustible components are tested. Otherwise such a barrier may not be considered as a smoke-safe separating element, because model FED calculations indicate a potential threat to the occupants on the unexposed side at a certain set of conditions.

Data on fires in production and storage buildings in Poland points to a significant problem oflarge and very large fires in these buildings and the successively increasing fire losses as well aspublic resources used to fight large-scale fires. The following question becomes relevant: how doPolish rules for the protection of production and storage buildings compare to those applied inother countries, particularly in Europe? Can the rules applied in Poland be the cause of increasingfire losses? If so, what solutions can be taken? In order to answer these questions, analysis reviewwas carried out of the fire protection requirements for single-storey industrial buildings appliedin a number of European countries against the Polish requirements. Results confirm that Polishregulations are very liberal and permit bigger fire risks to be taken by the building owners.Solutions and modifications to key regulations are proposed to address this issue.