DHMO also known as hydric acid is a major component of acid rain and can cause severe burns. This same substance usually has a very high concentration in soft drinks and is readily available to many households.

 

So you think there should be government controls restricting access to this chemical?

 

Discuss.

 

N.B: Should be under Inorganic Chemistry, sorry about that.

Edited September 7, 201015 yr by Leader Bee

No -- DHMO is a very valuable industrial solvent and cleaner, and the economic costs of banning it would be insurmountable.

Do you not feel that such a readily accessible substance should not be banned, given how even children will have contact with it? DHMO can cause suffocation if inhaled? the risks are quite great.

it also causes tissue damage from prolonged exposure to its solid form

 

So you think there should be government controls restricting access to this chemical?

 

Eliminating altogether would be extremely undesirable, as there aren't really any workable substitutes for many of its most important applications. And enforcement would be very difficult anyway, due to its generally easily acquirable nature and the strong motives for evading such a law (think the war on drugs times a thousand). However, restricting certainly makes sense in some cases, though usually because of shortages rather than harm directly caused by usage. In fact, whole governments have been based on such restrictions.

I thought there were already efforts underway to collect DHMO from rivers and springs and contain it in secure plastic containers to prevent it from further leaking into the environment. This bottled DHMO can then be safely used in a controlled environment.

Do you not feel that such a readily accessible substance should not be banned, given how even children will have contact with it? DHMO can cause suffocation if inhaled? the risks are quite great.

 

Given that it's so common, I think it would make more sense to educate children of the dangers. Mostly that they should not inhale any and avoid prolonged exposure to the crystalline form.

 

Oh, and come to think of it, you probably should have linked to a website explaining DHMO. Otherwise, who knows what links your readers might find if they search for it themselves.

The details are, of course, kept closely guarded, but I understand* that DHMO formed part of the culture media used in the preparation of both the Soviet and US biological weapons.

 

* I heard this from a "bloke down the pub" but I have talked in rather general terms with some microbiologists and I believe this is true.

I do believe Penn & Teller covered this particular little gem on one of their shows (season 1 Ep 13), they collected several hundred signatures on a banning petition at an environmentalist rally.

It is a major contaminant in many of our lakes and rivers with concentrations reported near 55 M !

Given that it's so common, I think it would make more sense to educate children of the dangers. Mostly that they should not inhale any and avoid prolonged exposure to the crystalline form.

 

Oh, and come to think of it, you probably should have linked to a website explaining DHMO. Otherwise, who knows what links your readers might find if they search for it themselves.

 

 

You're quite right.

 

Please see the following link for further information on Dihydrogen Monoxide.

 

http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

Anyone can suffocate from inhaling water and it is dangerous around significant voltage/current in homes containing clumsy folk we should ban it

Anyone can suffocate from inhaling water and it is dangerous around significant voltage/current in homes containing clumsy folk we should ban it

Haha! You lose! You said "water"! :)

 

At the same time, all statements above were true! DHMO is the cause of great suffering and misery on this planet. It left millions homeless only this very year!

Haha! You lose! You said "water"! :)

 

 

 

I guess that post finally derails the fun of this thread. Sorry boys "Pools closed"