Bad Science

And hard on the heels of Phil’s paean to Science and the scientific method, comes a perfect example of really bad science (courtesy of Skeptico).

Laydeez an genelmen, I give you: Femo2 – the "water with more". More what? – you ask… Well, apparently, according to the web site, it’s "pure food-grade oxygen to levels up to 120 mg/litre". Golly gee, and what, precisely, is "food-grade oxygen" when it’s at home? It’s clearly something different to "industrial-sludge-grade" oxygen, that’s for sure. Sounds to me more like the marketing department were smoking something when they worked on this campaign.

But wait! There’s more! Along with the food-grade oxygen (I have to confess that’s so bad, it’s good), Femo2 is energized and magnetized (you will note the North American spelling – I thought that this meant that the US was to blame for this nonsense as usual. But no, in the deathless phrase of South Park: Blame Canada). Er, excuse me, what do these terms mean when applied to Dihydrogen Monoxide? Oh, look, there’s a FAQ (frequently asked questions). Let’s take a look:

Q: What is energization? A: Answer coming soon.

Q: What is magnetization? A: Answer coming soon.

Q: How do you keep the oxygen in the water? A: Answer coming soon.

Dear lord, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.