The Dihydrogen Monoxide Parody

Creator: Anonymous

Have you ever heard of dihydrogen monoxide? According to dhmo.org, "Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound . . . Its basis is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, a species shown to mutate DNA, denature proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and chemically alter critical neurotransmitters." Other sources state that "Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage . . . For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death."

Dihydrogen monoxide is a serious issue and must be regulated. I’ve seen it online, so it must be true.

In case you haven’t heard of it before, "dihydrogen" literally means "two hydrogens" and "monoxide" means "one oxygen." I’m sure you can guess what the joke is now: pushing for the regulation and limitation of water.

This parody started off in a 1983 April Fool’s Day edition of Michigan’s Durand Express, which stated that "dihydrogen oxide" had been found in the city's water pipes and that it was fatal if inhaled, as well as able to produce blistering vapors. It was then spread by students at the University of California, Santa Cruz through the Coalition to Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide. Since then, there have been numerous websites and articles joining in on the joke. Here’s an especially convincing example:

(A substance becomes less acidic as its pH level increases.)

As funny as this parody is, it’s quite interesting to see just how gullible people can be. In response to an email sent to Sue Kedgley, a New Zealand politician associated with the Green Party, a representative in Kedgley’s office responded "Thanks for your email regarding DHMO. I know Sue would be absolutely supportive of the campaign to ban this toxic substance in NZ." A 14-year-old Nathan Zohner even created a science experiment based on this parody called "How Gullible Are We?", demonstrating the gullible nature of the public. This caused the author of the article above to coin the term "Zohnerism," or "the use of a true fact to lead a scientifically and mathematically ignorant public to a false conclusion."

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