On the topic of dodge chemicals
Does anyone remember "cake", when it got the politicians jumping on the anti-drug (also know as the "I haven't a clue what I'm doing") band wagon. They really believed that it was a real drug and started to ban it! With any luck, the same display of un-intellectual button pushing may repeat itself.
Probably not, though. Dihydrogen Monoxide is an old, _old_ gag, and lots of people know it nowadays, so it's unlikely to dupe a whole organisation. That said, the main reason it works so well when it does is because the first thing most people think when they hear it phrased that way is "Monoxide? Like in
carbon monoxide? The stuff that
kills you? The stuff in "pollution"? Oh, then it must be bad!"... Word association can be pretty powerful stuff. Ask any marketing drone. So, if you're feeling mischevious, do a leaflet drop in your neighbourhood or something and see who gets fooled...
Also, for the benefit of us non-Brits, give us more info about this "cake" thing? I can probably guess the gist of it from what you've said, and if I'm guessing correctly, it sounds like an amusing story...