All hail the bold, swift governmental action taken by the City of Aliso Viejo, California, to battle a pervasive chemical hazard in our lives!
City officials were so concerned about the potentially dangerous properties of dihydrogen monoxide that they considered banning foam cups after they learned the chemical was used in their production.
Then they learned that dihydrogen monoxide – H2O for short – is the scientific term for water.
“It’s embarrassing,” said City Manager David J. Norman. “We had a paralegal who did bad research.”
The paralegal apparently fell victim to one of the many official looking Web sites that have been put up by pranksters to describe dihydrogen monoxide as “an odorless, tasteless chemical” that can be deadly if accidentally inhaled.
The city had been prepared to ban Styrofoam cups at city-sponsored events, since they were made with a substance that could “threaten human health and safety.” The measure has been pulled from next week’s agenda.
(via Volokh)