Mad Science

Our newly-graduated kid will start his first paying professional job Monday. He will be working with a company that monitors contaminants in ground water from the site of a locally headquarted international company. My sister emailed me the following story. It illustrates well how we can become fearful people.

"Subject: Science. Who needs it?
A freshman at Eagle Rock Junior High won
first prize at the Greater Idaho Falls Science
Fair, last April. He was attempting to show
how conditioned we have become to alarmists
practicing junk science and spreading fear of
everything in our environment. In his project
he urged people to sign a petition demanding
strict control or total elimination of the chemical
dihydrogen monoxide. Please find below a
summary of his argument:
1. Can cause excessive sweating and vomiting.

2. It is a major component in acid rain.

3. It can cause severe burns in its gaseous state.

4. Accidental inhalation can kill you.

5. It contributes to erosion.

6. It decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.

7. It has been found in tumors of terminal cancer patients.
He asked 50 people if they supported a ban of the chemical. Forty-three said yes, six were undecided, and only one knew that the chemical was water (H20). The title of his prize winning project was, 'How Gullible Are We?' He feels the conclusion is obvious. "