Boy Scout Troop 325
Scoutmaster Minute
DHMO
January 10, 2006
Larry Polyak, Scoutmaster

In 1997, a 14-year-old student in Idaho named Nathan Zohner did a science fair project regarding the dangers of the toxic chemical known as DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE, or DHMO for short. He explained that DHMO is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless substance which kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death. He went further to explain that DHMO has been found contaminating our lakes, rivers, streams and reservoirs. The substance has been linked to the erosion of our natural landscape, is a major component of acid rain, contributes to the greenhouse effect, can cause electrical failures, and has been found in excised tumors of cancer patients.

Zohner presented his report about the dangers of dihyrogen monoxide to fifty ninth-grade students and asked them what (if anything) should be done about the chemical. Forty-three students favored banning it, six were undecided, and only one correctly recognized that 'dihydrogen monoxide' is actually H₂O, or plain water. His report was entitled "How Gullible Are We?" and he won first place. Since then, other people have taken the same idea to extremes. Visit the www.dhmo.org website sometime. It's hilarious.

Besides being a funny story, there is a moral here. Somehow you knew there would be, right? I could sum it up by saying "Don't judge a book by it's cover." or "Don't jump to conclusions.". For example, don't succumb to peer pressure just becasue "everyone else is doing it". Make your own informed decisions. Don't just go along with someone who tells you that drugs, drinking, or smoking won't hurt you - when all the facts say otherwise. Don't judge a book by its cover - there may be other kids who look or act a certain way and becasue of that you think a certain way about them, Maybe if you talked to them and got to know them better as a person you'd realize they have a lot of the same thoughts, hopes, and dreams that you do.

So, do think for yourself, get the facts, and make your own decisions. And don't rely on a single source of information.

Thanks for listening.