|
Officials Nearly Fall for Dihydrogen Monoxide Hoax
by
ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — City officials were so concerned about the potentially
dangerous properties of dihydrogen monoxide that they considered banning foam
cups after they learned the chemical was used in their production.
Then they learned, to their chagrin, that dihydrogen
monoxide -- H2O for short -- is the scientific term for water.
"It's
embarrassing," said City Manager David J. Norman. "We had a paralegal who did
bad research."
The paralegal apparently fell victim to one of the many
official looking Web sites that have been put up by pranksters to describe
dihydrogen monoxide as "an odorless, tasteless chemical" that can be deadly if
accidentally inhaled.
As a result, the City Council of this Orange
County suburb had been scheduled to vote next week on a proposed law that would
have banned the use of foam containers at city-sponsored events. Among the
reasons given for the ban were that they were made with a substance that could
"threaten human health and safety."
The measure has been pulled from the
agenda, although Norman said the city may still eventually ban foam cups.
"If you get Styrofoam into the water and it breaks apart, it's virtually
impossible to clean up," Norman said.
Visit the hoax site at http://www.dhmo.org/
|
