THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS - WHETHER A PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION OR NDMA IN DRINKING WELLS

Well once again I've been digging in my files looking for specific information that I know I have. Sure enough I found it and it's relevant to yesterday's post here in which I suggested an error in the published concentrations of NDMA in Elmira's groundwater. In hindsight it may well be that the number published (1,200 - 2,900 parts per trillion (ppt) wasn't so much inaccurate as was the accompanying text. In other words it's all about comparing apples to oranges versus comparing apples to apples. Put more simply there are literally dozens to hundreds of different concentrations of NDMA in various waters. For example there are NDMA concentrations in the municipal aquifers beneth the town of Elmira. This could depending upon your definition even include the ridiculously high NDMA concentrations in the Municipal Upper and Lower Aquifers on the former Uniroyal Chemical property. They range from as high as 1,000 parts per billion (ppb) which equals 1,000,000 parts per trillion (ppt) up to three and four thousand ppb (or 4,000,000 ppt). .......................................................................................................... Now if you want to exclude the Uniroyal property from the definition of the Elmira Aquifers you would "only" have concentrations from between 100 ppb and say 800 to 900 ppb. or 900,000 parts per trillion (ppt). Then you have the concentrations of NDMA in the Elmira Distribution System back in 1989-1990. Those are considerably smaller yet again as the south wellfield in particular is at least a mile away from the Uniroyal property. Some of those NDMA concentrations were measured as "low" as 1 to 3 parts per billion (40 ppb concentrations were also found in one of the drinking wells at least once). Unfortunately the 1-3 ppb. concentration is still 1,000 to 3,000 parts per trillion (ppt) with an Ontario Drinking Water Standard of 9 ppt. Hence that drinking water NDMA concentration was 100 to 300 times higher than the eventual human health standard. ................................................................................................... So here we are on Thirsday morning with some folks firmly believeing that Joe Biden has won the Presidential election (he's very close) and other idiots screaming that Donald Trump won the election on Tuesday evening (not so close then). Just as the truth of NDMA concentrations was all over the map so is the truth as to has won the Presidential election south of the border. Presumably the appropriate election authorities will make a determination shortly but even that may or may not be subject to some sort of legal review. Truth needs to be patient sometimes albeit not thirty years patient as it has been in Elmira, Ontario.