Dihydrogen Monoxide

If nothing else, this case helps prove the observations of Michel Eyguem De Montaigne, [1533-1592] who said that, “Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.”  Then, too, it also helps to demonstrate how con artists, using nothing more than words, can so easily dupe people into parting with their cash and other valuables.

Here’s an excerpt from one of the many web sites dedicated to exposing a potentially deadly chemical known as Dihydrogen Monoxide.   (web site:  http://www.dhmo.org/ )

ALERT!  Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the unstable radical Hydroxide, the components of which are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.

Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:

Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities. Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage. Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects. DHMO is a major component of acid rain. Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns. Contributes to soil erosion. Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals. Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits. Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes. Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions. Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere. Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.

So convincing are such health alerts, that as recently as March 15, 2004, city officials in Aliso Viejo, California nearly voted to ban the use of foam cups because of claims that the product was manufactured with massive amounts of the deadly chemical Dihydrogen Monoxide.

So what’s the catch, you ask?  Everything about such warnings appears valid, and the web sites exposing this deadly chemical all appear professional and scientific.  As the officials in Aliso Viejo learned, to their chagrin, dihydrogen monoxide — H2O for short — is the scientific term for water. 

To learn more about this classic hoax, refer to the following web sites:

http://www.textbookleague.org/113glob.htm

http://www.columbia.edu/cu/21stC/issue-3.4/valhouli.html

 

FraudTech