An oldie but goodie - Penn and Teller on Dihydrogen Monoxide

Here's a classic for Earth Day:

More on this insidious chemical can be found here: DHMO From the website:

What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?
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.
  • Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks.
  • Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S.
  • Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.


What are some uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide?
Despite the known dangers of DHMO, it continues to be used daily by industry, government, and even in private homes across the U.S. and worldwide. Some of the well-known uses of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:
  • as an industrial solvent and coolant,
  • in nuclear power plants,
  • by the U.S. Navy in the propulsion systems of some older vessels,
  • by elite athletes to improve performance,
  • in the production of Styrofoam,
  • in biological and chemical weapons manufacture,
  • in the development of genetically engineering crops and animals,
  • as a spray-on fire suppressant and retardant,
  • in so-called "family planning" or "reproductive health" clinics,
  • as a major ingredient in many home-brewed bombs,
  • as a byproduct of hydrocarbon combustion in furnaces and air conditioning compressor operation,
  • in cult rituals,
  • by the Church of Scientology on their members and their members' families (although surprisingly, many members recently have contacted DHMO.org to vehemently deny such use),
  • by both the KKK and the NAACP during rallies and marches,
  • by members of Congress who are under investigation for financial corruption and inappropriate IM behavior,
  • by the clientele at a number of bath houses in New York City and San Francisco,
  • historically, in Hitler's death camps in Nazi Germany, and in prisons in Turkey, Serbia, Croatia, Libya, Iraq and Iran,
  • in World War II prison camps in Japan, and in prisons in China, for various forms of torture,
  • during many recent religious and ethnic wars in the Middle East,
  • by many terrorist organizations including al Quaeda,
  • in community swimming pools to maintain chemical balance,
  • in day care centers, purportedly for sanitary purposes,
  • by software engineers, including those producing DICOM programmer APIs and other DICOM software tools,
  • by popular computer science professors,
  • by the semi-divine King Bhumibol of Thailand and his many devoted young working girls in Bangkok,
  • in animal research laboratories, and
  • in pesticide production and distribution.

Nasty stuff...

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About this Entry

This page contains a single entry by DaveH published on April 22, 2009 8:22 PM.

Mmmm Raspberries and Rum - sounds like dessert to me was the previous entry in this blog.

Well, if the Earth warms up, that will mean more forest fires. Right? is the next entry in this blog.

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