Dear Editor,
I read with consternation in the Sunday SN that the EPA officers were reported as excusing their unpreparedness to test for mercury at Chinese Landing by stating that they would have to carry the samples to a lab within a certain time. Such an excuse is nonsense. Mercury does not degrade. It can only exchange carriers, biological or inorganic. And once the water samples are sealed, there is no way the mercury can evaporate. Only during the analysis, after processing has begun in the lab, can there be any question of delay; not before.
Sincerely,
Alfred Bhulai
