Please read, important...

[namida]

In almost every country in the world, a chemical known as "dihydrogen monoxide" is legal. The dangers of dihydrogen monoxide include:

    * Also called "hydroxyl acid," the substance is a major component of acid rain;
    * Contributes to soil erosion;
    * Contributes to the greenhouse effect;
    * Accelerates corrosion and breakdown of electrical equipment;
    * Excessive ingestion may cause various unpleasant effects;
    * Prolonged contact with its solid form results in severe tissue damage;
    * Inhalation, even in small quantities, may cause death;
    * Its gaseous form may cause severe burns;
    * It has been found in the tumors of terminal cancer patients;
    * Withdrawal by those addicted to the substance causes certain death within 168 hours;

Nevertheless, governments and corporations continue using it widely, heedless of its grave dangers.

PLEASE DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO GET THIS SUBSTANCE BANNED!

[ccexplore]

This joke has been around the Internet at least a few years ago. :

(spoiler) [highlight]It's a familiar foe to our beloved lemmings too.[/highlight]

[Timballisto]

Man, I heard that one in science class.

[drumnbach]

Still, it's great the first time you hear about it. I sussed it instantly, but it works well on many different types of people .

[LemSteven]

Wow, you almost had me fooled for a minute or so -- until I took another look at the name of the chemical.

BIG Spoiler: [highlight](Dihydrogen monoxide = H2O = Water!)[/highlight]

[namida]

[highlight]The interesting thing though is that all of those "risks" are actually true.

   * Also called "hydroxyl acid," the substance is a major component of acid rain;
    * Contributes to soil erosion;
    * Contributes to the greenhouse effect;
    * Accelerates corrosion and breakdown of electrical equipment;
Those ones are common knowledge...

   * Excessive ingestion may cause various unpleasant effects;
Believe it or not, you can have too much of this stuff, even to the point of death...


   * Prolonged contact with its solid form results in severe tissue damage;
More to do with the temperature than the substance.

   * Inhalation, even in small quantities, may cause death;
You should know this.

   * Its gaseous form may cause severe burns;
Again, more to do with the temperature than the substance.

   * It has been found in the tumors of terminal cancer patients;
    * Withdrawal by those addicted to the substance causes certain death within 168 hours;
Again, you should know these.[/highlight]

[tseug]

The first time i heard about this, i thought maybe it was a real problem. Then a minute later i looked back over the list of dangers.... then at the chemical composition.... hehe that's a good one

EDIT: http://www.DHMO.org  ;D ;D

[Conway]

Inhalation, even in small quantities, may cause death

Err, how is this true?

[ccexplore]

Inhalation, even in small quantities, may cause death

Err, how is this true?

Um as I said before:

(hint) [highlight]It's a familiar foe to our beloved lemmings too.[/highlight]

[Liebatron]

THAT"S HORRIBLE! WE NEED TO GET THIS STUFF BANNED IMMEDIATELY! DO YOU ACTUALLY MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THIS STUFF IS JUST SORT OF FLOATING AROUND OUT THERE?

-how can we avoid contact with this stuff if it's everywhere like you say.
-what is this stuff?
-Andi, the site's making everything yellow and also unreadable, those posts might contain vital information for survival in a world where this stuff is everywhere.
- Where am I most likely to encounter this stuff? from you description it seems like You'd find it mostly  near factories or rivers.

[Chmera]

Ever tried highlighting the yellow areas?

[highlight]If no, then perhaps your username suits you![/highlight]

[Liebatron]

Yes, I did highlight the yellow text before I typed that post. In the original version of the post, I had a note posted at the bottom that said I'd heard this one first from a friend, then in science class, then here. Then, looking back at it, I wondered what people would say if I left that lst part off. I really expected something akin to what you had in the post before but just wondering.

[highlight]Yeah, I know it's water.[/highlight]