Blast, one of our moderators, in his civilian life is a Chemical Engineer.
Excuse me, it's a Ph.D. in Chemistry. I tap the fundamental units of creation and twist them to my will on a daily basis. Chemical engineers are just plumbers.

As for the water issue...death due to dehydration happens a lot faster than death by bad chemistry, especially when you'd have to drink more than your own weight for days on end to get a measurable increase in health issues.
-Blast