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- Oct 20, 2021
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“Nathan Zohner, a 14-year-old freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High won first prize at a Greater Idaho Falls Science Fair. In his project, he urged fellow classmates to sign a petition demanding strict control or total elimination of the chemical “dihydrogen monoxide”.
Zohner included the following as the basis for his petition:
1. It is also known as hydroxyl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
2. It contributes to the “greenhouse effect”.
3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.
4. Accidental inhalation can kill you.
5. It contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
6. It accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
7. It may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
8. It has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.
9. Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
a. as an industrial solvent and coolant.
b. in nuclear power plants.
c. in the production of styrofoam.
d. as a fire retardant.
e. in many forms of cruel animal research.
f. in the distribution of pesticides-- even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
g. as an additive in certain junk foods and other food products.
Of the fifty students who considered Zohner’s petition, forty-three agreed and six were undecided. Only one knew that dihydrogen monoxide was actually water.
This aptly demonstrates the kind of false reasoning that is so common today. It shows how with a little effort, something as innocent as water can be made to seem like a dangerous threat to human life.
Would you succumb to peer pressure and sign along with the others— or would you check it out for yourself?”
(Young Disciple Magazine volume 30 number 45, page 5)
Zohner included the following as the basis for his petition:
1. It is also known as hydroxyl acid, and is the major component of acid rain.
2. It contributes to the “greenhouse effect”.
3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.
4. Accidental inhalation can kill you.
5. It contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape.
6. It accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals.
7. It may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes.
8. It has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients.
9. Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used:
a. as an industrial solvent and coolant.
b. in nuclear power plants.
c. in the production of styrofoam.
d. as a fire retardant.
e. in many forms of cruel animal research.
f. in the distribution of pesticides-- even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical.
g. as an additive in certain junk foods and other food products.
Of the fifty students who considered Zohner’s petition, forty-three agreed and six were undecided. Only one knew that dihydrogen monoxide was actually water.
This aptly demonstrates the kind of false reasoning that is so common today. It shows how with a little effort, something as innocent as water can be made to seem like a dangerous threat to human life.
Would you succumb to peer pressure and sign along with the others— or would you check it out for yourself?”
(Young Disciple Magazine volume 30 number 45, page 5)
