Ragwort and the deadly DHMO

Ragwort dot org's home page Ragwort and DHMO How fear of something is not always rational. What is the real truth about horse deaths ? How statistics can be used to mislead. How toxic is ragwort ? Not as much as you might think. Why ragwort doesn't poison humans. A widespread myth debunked. The law and ragwort Why there is no general obligation to control it. Government bloopers Incorrect or misleading advice from councils and government.

Ragwort is sometimes. though rarely, toxic to livestock in the UK because of chemicals called pyrrolizidine alkaloids. However, for the purpose of this article we will concentrate on another chemical called DHMO. It has been found in ragwort. This was originally raised by a ragwort expert in an internet forum whose contribution is gratefully acknowledged.

There are a number of websites about the chemial DHMO. It is a major killer and as little as a thimblefull can in the right circumstances be lethal to a human being. It has been detected in in cancer cells. It has had many uses in which include, an industrial solvent , a coolant in nuclear power plants, in the production of Styrofoam, in biological and chemical weapons manufacture, in the development of genetically engineering crops and animals, as a spray-on fire suppressant and retardant, and in World War II prison camps in Japan to assist in the torture of prisoners. It has even been found to contribute to the greenhouse effect

From this description it sounds a dreadful chemical that should be banned. This is exactly what someone tried to do. A city council in California tried to ban the use of styrofoam because DHMO was used in the manufacturing process. A letter was sent from a politician in New Zealand calling for a ban too.

There were some really red faced people when they discovered what DHMO really is. DHMO stands for DiHydrogen Monoxide with the chemical formula H2O. By now you should have worked out that the chemical concerned is just water. The DHMO story was created by some people in America as a deliberate hoax to see how you could mislead people. It has taken many people in.

Well the same thing happens with Ragwort. Of course it is dangerous sometimes, particularly if it is in hay, but the stories being spread around are not based on a proper understanding of the science as a result people are panicking unnecessarily. Some of the stories are actually so bad as to be worthy of the name "hoax" and they have even taken in people like the Government's Highway's Agency and the BBC.