Stomach Ache

A family business paid more than ten penalties for infraction of the sewage discharge regulations. The municipal authority had been sampling its discharge and found excessive concentration of vegetable oils. Three years ago they decided to fight and hired a lawyer and me as expert. The preparatory meeting with the lawyer gave me stomach ache. We are going to negate the validity of environmental laws, something like fighting the EPA in the USA.

Our argument is that they didn't collect and preserve the samples following the "Standard Methods". They did not write protocols nor measured temperatures as required. They operated on a cozy, easygoing, relaxed manner.

My second argument is that the sampler does not know the apparatus. He had not read the instruction book (or its translation) and consequently he did not follow them. That machine was never maintained, calibrated, refrigerated and moreover, he testified that having internal isolation needed no refrigeration. Sewage samples change their composition after one hour if not preserved at 4 degree celsius as required. A thermos is no refrigerator.

If we win, all sewage infractions in Israel will have to be reconsidered or annuled and new, stricter methods will have to be applied. The judge (female) protects the authorities and its ignorant and lazy servants, so the lawyer (a 2 m tall 35 y.o. frightening female) drilled me very hard. She did not allow me to ramble around with anecdotes as I like but had to focus on specific points. Like Art. 5 says "4 degree Celsius" and they say on page 3 line 15 that the sample was 20 degrees." And so on. I am going to be hated.