Podstawy metodyczne i formalno-prawne rozpoznania stanu chemicznego osadów wodnych w Polsce i na świecie

Human activity affects both the quantity and quality of sediments of inland water reservoirs, and the increase in chemical pressure and exceeded environmental quality standards are commonly observed in alluvium. Because most of the chemicals released into the aquatic environment are successively adsorbed on bottom sediments, their monitoring is an important element of rational management and protection of the aquatic environment. Moreover, understanding the actual dynamics of pollutants in water systems and the resulting threats to the environment can only be achieved through appropriate actions based on standardized sampling procedures, reference measurement methods, and well-balanced criteria for assessing sediment quality. Although the results of sediment analyses are often presented in studies on the assessment of environmental pollution with harmful chemical substances, both the methods of these studies, as well as the issues of managing the risk caused by contaminated sediments, have not yet been harmonized either on a global scale or even at the European level. Many European countries still lack coherent and harmonized guidelines to recognize the chemical status of aquatic sediments, and only some of them have formally sanctioned regulations governing sediment quality monitoring. In this article we discuss the methodological, formal and legal framework for recognizing the chemical status of water sediments in Poland and in the selected countries around the world.