[en] In the paper the importance of preconcentration and a permanent need for efficient preconcentrating agents in environmental analysis are pointed out. The increased attention is devoted to the foamed polyurethane sorbents as a novel advance in the separation chemistry. The paper has two main aims. The first is to present a survey of recent applications of unloaded and reagent loaded open-cell type resilient polyurethane foams to the separation and preconcentration of radionuclides from environmental samples. The second is to show the newest results in the use of these foams for the preconcentration and determination of traces of some mainly inorganic species in environmental samples by radioanalytical techniques. Some future possibilities of the use of polyurethane foams in trace elemental determinations in environmental analysis are also outlined. (author)