Should this material be banned?

This is a little test I have for you all you, to see just how savvy you are in the chemistry department. My teacher gave us this article today, and we told us to write a short essay on whether we agreed or disagreed with the notion of banning this compound. I've re-typed the entire thing, but luckily it's not too long. Read through the whole thing, every last statement, and then decide what you think of this material they speak of.

BAN DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE!

Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death.

Dihydrogen monoxide:

- is also known as hydorxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain
- contribues to the "greenhouse effect"
- may cause severe burns
- contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape
- accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals
- may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes
- has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.

Contamination is reaching epidemic proportions!

Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in also every stream, lake and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic Ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the midwest, and recently California.

Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:

- as an industrial solvent and coolant.
- in nuclear power plants.
- in the production of styrofoam.
- as a fire retardant.
- in many forms of cruel animal research
- in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.

- as an additive in certain "junk foods" and other food products.

Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. There impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer!

The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic health of this nation". In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use

So, what's your opinion, should it be legal to have this chemical in our hands? Or should it be banned?

Find out below

Spoiler (Highlight to read):

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If you said that it should be banned, then you either don't know chemical prefixes, or you just want the world to end. Dihydrogen Monoxide is simply a fancy way of saying "Water". That's all it is, Water, H20 with the special chemic prefixes of Di and Mono, two atoms of Hydrogen, one atom of oxygen.

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I swear, only two kids out of 25 in my entire class figured out what the article was really about, even I hadn't realized it until my teacher told us, and we flipped out because we had been tricked. How'd you guys do?

Water isn't tasteless.

Ahaha you got me Merrin, I believed it was some ytpe of freeon like in car radiators. Now that I think about it everything makes sense, its tasteless, odorless. What do u think the key ingrediant in acid rain is?????? Well now when I get this test ill be the only one in class to get it right hahah.

Originally Posted by Slumber

Water isn't tasteless.

About 99% of the worlds water has something extra in it, that extra thing is what you taste but "pure" water is tasteless.

^ Yep, normal drinking water's taste comes from the purifying of it and because of added minerals.

>> I said it should be...

Very clever. =D

What the hell are you talking about?

It took me a second, but I clued in that it was water.
Clever, though.

That is strange. Does that mean the article is false?

*Yawn*

Old joke. I mean, my last year Physics teacher did that on his grade nine class (I was in eleven) and told us how many of them said to ban it. so, as soon as I saw "Dihydrogen Monoxide" I knew what you were talking about. However, it is still funny how many people fall for it.

That's hilarious, Mirren. I was thinking we should ban it, and then I ead the spoilers...

The article makes it seem so horrible.... and then you learn what it really is...

We did something similar in english class, but with different stuff. I was one of the people who figured it out.

It took me a bit, but I figured it was probably water. I read it over again once I knew.

I love it when people fall for this kind of thing. It's usually made ridiculous enough to make you wonder about it.

Heh. How do you define "tasteless"?--something that tastes like water?

A good question would be just how do we ban it? Dry it up? Release it in the vastness of space?

Originally Posted by D3PyroGS

A good question would be just how do we ban it? Dry it up? Release it in the vastness of space?

Or build a giant sealed dome to house the inhabitants of the earth and protect them from it.

We could always live on the moon.

Anyone who took grade 10 science and still didn't get that right away (from Dihydrogen Monoxide onwards) fails. Or just has a terrible memory.

Where the hell did they pull "Di" and "Mon" from? I didn't understand it, because I over looked "hydrogen" and "oxide" because of the stupid prefixes.

Sort of tricky because of the misleading descriptions, but if you simply read the name closely, it shouldn't fool you:

Di=2 Hydrogen
Mono=1 Oxygen

H20=Water. A well known fact.