Dihydrogen monoxide parody

The dihydrogen monoxide parody is a parody that involves calling water by its unfamiliar chemical systematic name "dihydrogen monoxide" (DHMO, or the chemical formula H₂O) and describing some properties of water in a particularly concerning manner — such as the ability to accelerate corrosion (rust) and cause suffocation (drowning) — for the purpose of encouraging alarmism among the audience to often incite a moral panic calling for water to be banned, regulated strictly or labeled as a hazardous chemical. The parody has also involved other uncommon chemical nomenclatures for water such as "hydrogen hydroxide", "dihydrogen oxide" and "hydric acid", used in many prank shows to scare people into thinking it as a lethal or corrosive substance.

The motivation behind the parody is to play into chemophobia, and to demonstrate how exaggerated analysis, information overload and a lack of scientific literacy can lead to misplaced fears.