Wed 21 Sep 2005
Pond Scum?
Posted by anaglyph under Science, Signs, Silly
[3] Comments
Organic water? Huh? My brain hurts. What do they mean? Why are they torturing the language so? In the proper scientific sense of the word, water is profoundly not organic since it contains no carbon compounds.
The only way it could be considered to be organic, would be if it contained carbon-based life-forms. That is, things floating in it…
I think I’ll go have a beer.
[Thanks Sarah]
We had some “special” caterer-supplied bottled water at a design review a few years ago. Can’t remember the innocuous-sounding name, but I noticed the label fine-print said the water source was – and I quote – “Miami, FL municipal supply.” South Florida tap water, bottled and sold to clueless Central Florida patrons.
The label didn’t say Organic but I’m guessing it could’ve.
As a chemistry minor, this is very upsetting to me. I didn’t spend hours and hours in labs and lectures to just throw around the term “organic.”
However, you’re absolutely right. No carbon means that it’s not organic. I wouldn’t trust that spring water either.
I’m not in favour of labelling water as organic or anything, but these days, Organic has a meaning beyong Chemistry. You can go into a supermaket and buy organic chicken.. but the alternative is not to buyinorganic chicken – they are just not organic. So organic can be (but in this case is not) meant in a chemical sense – or be a common-usage term describing the way something was grown or raised.
I still object to water being labelled organic, though – since regular water does not use pesticides or antibiotics, anyway. So what exactly IS the difference?
We’ll have organic air in our squirty cream next.