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martyb writes:

People are Still Drinking Bleach-and Vomiting and Pooping their Guts Out:

The "Church of Bleach" is still strong, despite years of warnings.

The US Food and Drug Administration this week released an important health warning that everyone should heed: drinking bleach is dangerous—potentially life-threatening—and you should not do it.

The warning may seem unnecessary, but guzzling bleach is an unfortunately persistent problem. Unscrupulous sellers have sold "miracle" bleach elixirs for decades, claiming that they can cure everything from cancer to HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, flu, hair loss, and more. Some have promoted it to parents as a way to cure autism in children—prompting many allegations of child abuse.

Of course, the health claims are false, not to mention abhorrent. When users prepare the solution as instructed, it turns into the potent bleaching agent chlorine dioxide, which is an industrial cleaner. It's toxic to drink and can cause severe diarrhea, vomiting, life-threatening low blood pressure, acute liver failure, and damage to the digestive tract and kidneys.

In this week's warning, the FDA noted that some sellers will warn consumers that vomiting and diarrhea are common but say that those unpleasant effects indicate the solution is "working."

"That claim is false," the FDA wrote succinctly.

The agency released a nearly identical warning back in 2010. But in this week's consumer alert, the agency said that it has continued to receive "many reports" of consumers sickened by these bleach-based potions.

[...] The FDA says that the products have been hard to scrub out because of claims on social media, where the drinks are promoted along with false health information. Most of the claims can be traced back to Jim Humble, founder and "archbishop" of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, aka "The Church of Bleach."

Humble has been touting the solution for nearly two decades, referring to it as MMS—Miracle or Master Mineral Solution. (It's also known as the Miracle Mineral Supplement, the Chlorine Dioxide (CD) Protocol, and Water Purification Solution (WPS).) Humble is a former Scientologist who reportedly claims to be a billion-year-old god from the Andromeda galaxy.

I am at a loss for words. That someone has such low regard for other people that he would actively try and persuade parents to give a poison to a child — with autism — and claim the puking and diarrhea are proof it is working.

My heart goes out to the poor, defenseless kid! I just can't fathom. Speechless.

Original Submission