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Dear Friends: A most interesting and worrisome Op-ed column in a recent issue of the Washington Post by James K. Glassman names Dihydrogen Monoxide as an Unrecognized Killer. The chemical compound dihydrogen monoxide (or DHMO) has been implicated in the deaths of thousands of Americans every year, mainly through accidental ingestion. In gaseous for, it can cause severe burns. And according to a new report, "the dangers of this chemical does not end there." The chemical is so caustic that it accelerates the corrosion and rusting of many metals ... is major component of acid rain, [and] ... has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients." Symptoms include "excessive sweating and urination," and "for those who have developed a dependency on DHMO, complete withdrawal means certain death." Yet the presence of the chemical has been confirmed in every river, stream, lake and reservoir in America. Judging from these facts, do you think dihydrogen monoxide should be banned? Seems like an open and shut case - until you realize that this chemical compound is plain old water (two hydrogen molecules bonded to one oxygen, or H*O, which can drown you, scald you or make you go to the bathroom. Last spring, Nathan Zohner, an enterprising 14 year-old student at Eagle Rock Junior High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho, conducted his science fair project on just this theme. Nathan distributed a tongue-in-cheek report that had been kicking around the Internet, " Dihydrogen Monoxide: The Unrecognized Killer" from which the quotes above are drawn), to 50 of his classmates. These are smart kids who had studied chemistry; many of them, like Nathan, have parents who work at the nearby Idaho Nuclear Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. Nathan simply asked them to read the report (which is completely factual) and decide what, if anything to do about the chemical. They could even ask the teacher what DHMO was, but none did. In the end, 43 students, or 86% of the sample, "voted to ban dihydrogen monoxide, because it has caused too many deaths," wrote Nathan in the conclusion to his project, adding that he "was appalled that my peers were so easily misled ... I don't feel comfortable with the current level of understanding." Me neither, and it's not just kids I worry about. Nathan's project, which won the grand prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair, was titled, "How Gullible Are We?" But ninth graders aren't the only gullible parties. I'm sure that, if Nathan tried the same experiment on adults, he'd find at least as many would want to ban DHMO. Says David Murray, research director of the non-profit Statistical Assessment Service in Washington, "The likelihood is high that I could replicate these results with a survey of members of Congress." Murray, whose organization "looks out for misleading science that's driving public policy over a cliff, "ran across the Zohner story few months ago on the Internet. But he writes, "we thought it sounded like an urban myth - too pat, too neat." He discovered from the local press that it was indeed true. Etc., The implications of Nathan's research are so disturbing that I've decided to coin term: "Zohnerism." defined as the use of a true fact to lead a scientifically ignorant public to a false conclusion. Etc. Etc. After all, think what would happen if the EPA really did ban dihydrogen monoxide. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------ As a former judge and witness of this sort of distortion in these science fairs, it is very disquieting and needs to be addressed in science, politics, and religion (?). MM