MMS involves giving children two chemicals – sodium chlorite and hydrochloric acid – which combine to form bleach. It is usually sold to be taken orally, but parents are also told to use it as an enema. The potentially lethal mixture is being touted as a cure for autism, cancer, HIV, malaria and Alzheimer’s by the US-based Genesis II Church.
The cure has already been linked to one death and there are several reported cases of those taking it suffering serious injuries. It was banned in Canada after it caused a life-threatening reaction in an elderly man. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that the product “used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to health”.
When mixed with fruit juice, as recommended, it acidifes to produce chlorine dioxide – a potentially lethal bleach used for stripping textiles.
Last month a US vendor was jailed for four years over MMS in the first prosecution of its type. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency warned that MMS should not be taken as it can cause vomiting and diarrhoea as well as damage to the gut.
Despite this, the product is widely available on the internet, and social media groups which promote it have more than 1,000 members.
Autism activist Emma Dalmayne, who infiltrated one group, reported the case to police after discovering evidence that a mother living in the UK was using the product herself as well as giving it to her young son. It is the first suspected case in Britain.
“As a parent of a autistic children, I know the desperation to make things better for your child, but it’s unbelievable that these people are using an unscientific, unproven and unregulated product on their child,” Ms Dalmayne said.
Autism: Potentially lethal bleach 'cure' feared to have spread to Britain | Health News | Lifestyle | The Independent
The cure has already been linked to one death and there are several reported cases of those taking it suffering serious injuries. It was banned in Canada after it caused a life-threatening reaction in an elderly man. The US Food and Drug Administration warns that the product “used as directed, produces an industrial bleach that can cause serious harm to health”.
When mixed with fruit juice, as recommended, it acidifes to produce chlorine dioxide – a potentially lethal bleach used for stripping textiles.
Last month a US vendor was jailed for four years over MMS in the first prosecution of its type. In the UK, the Food Standards Agency warned that MMS should not be taken as it can cause vomiting and diarrhoea as well as damage to the gut.
Despite this, the product is widely available on the internet, and social media groups which promote it have more than 1,000 members.
Autism activist Emma Dalmayne, who infiltrated one group, reported the case to police after discovering evidence that a mother living in the UK was using the product herself as well as giving it to her young son. It is the first suspected case in Britain.
“As a parent of a autistic children, I know the desperation to make things better for your child, but it’s unbelievable that these people are using an unscientific, unproven and unregulated product on their child,” Ms Dalmayne said.
Autism: Potentially lethal bleach 'cure' feared to have spread to Britain | Health News | Lifestyle | The Independent