Thank Goodness It's Monday #403

WILL YOU JOIN THE EFFORT TO

BAN DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE?

I am shocked – SHOCKED! – to learn that this is still going on. 

Over 15 years ago I cautioned everyone I could reach about an early report I had heard about the dangers of the chemical compound, dihydrogen monoxide.

Back then, building on revelations made in the late 1980s, high school student Nathan Zohner of Idaho conducted an experiment in science class that revealed a serious problem. (It appears Zohner has since gone on to a career at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations.)

 

He told his classmates and teachers that they should sign his petition to ban a dangerous substance. 

He explained in detail that this substance -- dihydrogen monoxide, in some write-ups tagged DHMO -- is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year.

• Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation.
• In its gaseous state, it can cause serious burns.
• Prolonged exposure to DHMO in its solid form causes severe tissue damage.

For those who have become dependent, withdrawal means certain death.

 

It’s also --

… a component of acid rain

… contributes to soil erosion

… decreases the effectiveness of automobile brakes

… has been detected in some terminal cancer tumors

 

Despite these and similar known dangers, dihydrogen monoxide 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 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 polystyrene

… in biological and chemical weapons manufacture

… as a spray-on fire suppressant and retardant

OSHA and similarly concerned watchdogs worldwide have issued well-considered regs governing the use of dihydrogen monoxide.

And yet people continue to not listen or think about this threat.

Fast forward to 2013: Just last week two on-air presenters at a radio station in Florida (Gator Country 101.9) alerted their listeners to the incontrovertible fact that dihydrogen monoxide was actually coming out of their taps.

Their reward: These publicly minded individuals were deemed “pranksters” and suspended indefinitely by the station's general manager, who later elaborated –

 

"It is one thing when radio stations change their format or other crazy things they do. But you are messing with one of the big three, food, water or shelter. They just went too far; I just knew I didn’t like that."

How about you? On the summary of facts as I’ve laid them out before you, are you incensed enough to –

 

Join in the campaign?

You can learn more, here: http://www.dhmo.org/

But, before you click away, consider this –

TGIM ACTION IDEA: Have you thought to inquire, "Just what is dihydrogen monoxide?" 

Or did you realize that the out-of-the-tap compound flowing in Florida, and the item the petition-signing students and teachers signed called for banning, is –
 

You remember the H₂O molecule. 

Under the “official” nomenclature of inorganic chemistry,
there is no single correct name for every compound.
Water is one acceptable name for this compound,
even though it is neither a systematic
nor an international name and is
specific to just one phase of the compound.

Plain Old H₂O

– Water

Sorry ‘bout that. But … 

I began TGIM #402 for April Fool’s Day with the meant-to-be-humorous query:

“Did you know they took gullible out of the dictionary?”

I intended to leave it at that until I spotted the April 2 newsflash about the rush-to-judgment outcome of the Florida DJs’ on-air April Fool’s Day prank.

That reminded me of my Zohner item from the last millennium (although I find it hard to accept that it was that long ago) and I knew this TGIM was forming up.

 

So I search-engined back to refresh my memory and, it turns out, what I didn’t know in ’97 was that the title of Nathan’s prize-winning project was, “How Gullible Are We?”

 

His conclusion: Kinda obvious.

He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of dihydrogen monoxide.

• Forty-three (43) said yes,
• Six (6) were undecided,
• Only one (1) knew that the chemical was water.

Via a Zohner family blog, Nathan’s mother, Marivene, recently added an enlightening coda to his high-school-era story. She says:

“The ‘rest of the story’ is even better. He presented the ‘paper’ – 1 page – to 2 classes: His Earth Science class & his English class, with the permission of the teachers. 9th grade students, in April, so nearly done with the year. Guess which teacher had to turn her back to the class to hide her grin – - yep, that would be the English teacher!!”

As for us, in 2013, I guess if we too were fooled in our enthusiasm to support the dihydrogen monoxide ban, a starting point to applying the gullibility lesson young Nathan highlighted is to recall one of TGIM #402’s Action Ideas and –

Remember: Being successfully foolish also allows learning to happen. “There are no stupid questions.” But we seldom act as if that was a given. Recognizing that human failing, feel free to take the lead and ask aloud what you need to know, even when others are holding back.

Building on that, I’ll go –

 

Back to the future. My original “Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide” write-up was part of a twice-weekly e-blast newsletter called “Success On-Line.” (I shared editorial responsibility for SOL with my friend Dr. Rob Gilbert.)

The SOL Success Strategy I posted “back in the day” I’m going to keep intact for today's now-16-years-in-the-future --

TGIM TAKEAWAY: Keep your capacity for independent thought.  Hone your critical thinking skills.  Don't be a passive receiver of information.  Shun the politically correct in search of all the information you feel you need to make sound, well-informed judgments and decisions.  Ask the questions you need to ask.

Don't be docile as a dodo.  Remember, the dodo is extinct.

 

Dryly (still),

 

Geoff Steck
Chief Catalyst
Alexander Publishing & Marketing

8 Depot Square

Englewood, NJ 07631
201-569-5373
tgimguy@gmail.com

 

P.S. Although he did not originate the basics of the strategy of presenting DHMO in an exaggerated, eye-opening way, Nathan Zohner’s contribution in advancing the awareness of our gullibility lives on. In recognition of his experiment, James K. Glassman in his capacity of syndicated columnist in the venerable Washington Post coined the term "Zohnerism" to refer to "the use of a true fact to lead a scientifically and mathematically ignorant public to a false conclusion."