Dihydrogen Monoxide Hoax Debunked
Dihydrogen monoxide is a compound that was invented in 1989. It’s purpose was pretty simple: to show that water could have negative effects that countered the positive effects. When looking at the chemical formula for dihydrogen monoxide, however, there is only one simple conclusion that can be found: it’s just regular water. That’s right – DMHO is just plain, old, regular H20.
Isn’t Dihydrogen Monoxide Dangerous To Humans?
Water is about as dangerous to humans as sitting down in a comfortable chair to read this content. Anything can cause anyone some form of harm. If you drink too much water, then the human body can become toxic because it can’t remove enough of it and that can cause a lethal event in extreme cases. You could also try to sit in a chair, miss it, and end up breaking your back and live the rest of your life in a wheelchair.
Anything is Possible. Not Everything is Likely
The dangers of dihydrogen monoxide were reported to be immense. It was believed to contribute to soil erosion. It caused corrosion. It helped to contribute to the greenhouse effect. Believe it or not, that’s actually water does. It erodes soil and rock – the Grand Canyon is proof of that. Water vapor is a natural insulator. The salts in water help to create corrosion. These are things that we all know about water, but negative water? It’s supposed to be worse.
Is Dihydrogen Monoxide Highly Addictive?
The one claim about dihydrogen monoxide that really stands out above the rest is that it is an addictive substance. That much is true because we all need water to survive. The human body is mostly water as it is. Claims that it could cause tissue damage are true if you drink gallons upon gallons of water in one sitting, but most people can’t handle that much water in the first place. When it is in a gaseous form, it can burn you too – that’s true. Anyone who has ever stirred a boiling pot of pasta has seen that happen to them at some point.
The biggest danger for dihydrogen monoxide, according to those who propagated this hoax, was that it would pollute lakes and rivers. How can water actually pollute itself? Does the negative water interact with “positive” water in some way? The answer is a definitive “no.” Polluted water that has other substances in it can cause harm, but regular water in no way, shape, or form is going to pollute itself.
Some animals may have found being exposed to water cruel activity, but that most likely happened if a researcher attempted to give a house cat a bath. Dihydrogen monoxide is definitely one of the most creative hoaxes that has ever been created, but it is just a hoax. Now go enjoy a glass of dihydrogen monoxide, perhaps with some frozen dihydrogen monoxoide, and enjoy the DMHO that flows through your body.