Dihydrogen Monoxide - Is It Really That Dangerous

Every now and then (usually around April Fools Day), youll come across a story about the dangers of DHMO or dihydrogen monoxide. Yes, its an industrial solvent. Yes, youre exposed to it every  day. Yes, its all true. Every one who ever drinks the stuff eventually dies. Yes, its the number one cause of drowning. Yes, its the number one greenhouse gas. Other uses include: flame retardant chemicalfood additivecomponent of pesticide spraystorture in World War 2 prison campsto make chemical and biological weapons But is it really so dangerous? Should it be banned? You decide. Here are the facts you should know, starting with the most important one: Dihydrogen Monoxide or DHMO Common Name: water DHMO Chemical Formula: H2O Melting Point: 0  °C, 32  °F Boiling Point: 100  °C, 212  °F Density: 1000 kg/m3, liquid or 917 kg/m3, solid. Ice floats on water. So, in case you havent figured it out yet, Ill spell it out for you: Dihydrogen monoxide is the chemical name for ordinary water. Instances Where Dihydrogen Monoxide Really Can Kill You For the most part, youre fairly safe around DHMO. There are, however, certain situations where it truly is dangerous: While dihydrogen monoxide contains oxygen, each molecule only contains one atom. You need O2 to breathe and carry on cellular respiration. So, if you try to breathe water, you could die.If you drink too much water, you can suffer a condition called  water intoxication or hyponatremia. People have died from it.There are different forms of water. Heavy water has the exact same molecular structure as regular water, except one or more of the hydrogen atoms is replaced with deuterium. Deuterium is hydrogen, but each atom contains a neutron. You naturally drink a tiny bit of heavy water with regular water, but if you drink too much of the stuff, youll die. How much? A single glass probably wont harm you. If you keep drinking heavy water and manage to replace about a quarter of the hydrogen atoms in your body with deuterium, youre a goner.Another form of water is tritiated water, where the hydrogen may be replaced with the tritium isotope. Again, the molecular formula is exactly the same. A tiny amount of tritium wont harm you, but its worse than deuterium because its radioactive. However, tritium has a relatively short half life, so if you have tritiated water and keep it for a few years, it will eventually be safe to drink.Deionized water is purified water that has had its electrical charge removed. Its useful in the science lab, but its not a chemical you want to drink because its reactive and corrosive. Drinking deionized water can damage soft tissues and tooth enamel. While people dont tend to die from drinking pure deionized water, making it ones sole water source is ill-advised. Normal drinking water contains minerals essential to human health.