In almost every country in the world, a chemical known as "dihydrogen monoxide" is legal. The dangers of dihydrogen monoxide include:

   * Also called "hydroxyl acid," the substance is a major component of acid rain;
   * Contributes to soil erosion;
   * Contributes to the greenhouse effect;
   * Accelerates corrosion and breakdown of electrical equipment;
   * Excessive ingestion may cause various unpleasant effects;
   * Prolonged contact with its solid form results in severe tissue damage;
   * Inhalation, even in small quantities, may cause death;
   * Its gaseous form may cause severe burns;
   * It has been found in the tumors of terminal cancer patients;
   * Withdrawal by those addicted to the substance causes certain death within 168 hours;

Nevertheless, governments and corporations continue using it widely, heedless of its grave dangers.

PLEASE DO WHATEVER YOU CAN TO GET THIS SUBSTANCE BANNED!

;) This joke has been around the Internet at least a few years ago. ::)

(spoiler) [highlight]It's a familiar foe to our beloved lemmings too.[/highlight]

Man, I heard that one in science class.

Still, it's great the first time you hear about it. I sussed it instantly, but it works well on many different types of people :).

Wow, you almost had me fooled for a minute or so -- until I took another look at the name of the chemical. :)

BIG Spoiler: [highlight](Dihydrogen monoxide = H2O = Water!)[/highlight]

[highlight]The interesting thing though is that all of those "risks" are actually true.

   * Also called "hydroxyl acid," the substance is a major component of acid rain;
   * Contributes to soil erosion;
   * Contributes to the greenhouse effect;
   * Accelerates corrosion and breakdown of electrical equipment;
Those ones are common knowledge...

   * Excessive ingestion may cause various unpleasant effects;
Believe it or not, you can have too much of this stuff, even to the point of death...


   * Prolonged contact with its solid form results in severe tissue damage;
More to do with the temperature than the substance.

   * Inhalation, even in small quantities, may cause death;
You should know this.

   * Its gaseous form may cause severe burns;
Again, more to do with the temperature than the substance.

   * It has been found in the tumors of terminal cancer patients;
   * Withdrawal by those addicted to the substance causes certain death within 168 hours;
Again, you should know these.[/highlight]

The first time i heard about this, i thought maybe it was a real problem. Then a minute later i looked back over the list of dangers.... then at the chemical composition.... hehe that's a good one :D

EDIT: http://www.DHMO.org  ;D ;D

Err, how is this true?

THAT"S HORRIBLE! WE NEED TO GET THIS STUFF BANNED IMMEDIATELY! DO YOU ACTUALLY MEAN TO TELL ME THAT THIS STUFF IS JUST SORT OF FLOATING AROUND OUT THERE?

-how can we avoid contact with this stuff if it's everywhere like you say.
-what is this stuff?
-Andi, the site's making everything yellow and also unreadable, those posts might contain vital information for survival in a world where this stuff is everywhere.
- Where am I most likely to encounter this stuff? from you description it seems like You'd find it mostly  near factories or rivers.

Ever tried highlighting the yellow areas?

[highlight]If no, then perhaps your username suits you![/highlight]

Yes, I did highlight the yellow text before I typed that post. In the original version of the post, I had a note posted at the bottom that said I'd heard this one first from a friend, then in science class, then here. Then, looking back at it, I wondered what people would say if I left that lst part off. I really expected something akin to what you had in the post before but just wondering.

[highlight]Yeah, I know it's water.[/highlight]