Food & Drug Administration: Federal Judge Halts Sale of Industrial Bleach as #COVID-19 Cure From South Florida Church.

 By Asher Stockler

On 4/18/20 at 11:19 AM EDT

news week.com

 

 A federal judge in Miami issued an order on Friday blocking the sale of an apparent hoax-cure for COVID-19, which the Justice Department says was actually industrial-strength bleach.

Several Southwest Florida residents, through a self-proclaimed religious entity, had been marketing a "Master Mineral Solution" (MMS) on their affiliated websites, stating fanciful claims about its potential applications.

The Genesis II Church of Health & Healing provided that MMS could alleviate COVID-19 through "sacramental dosing." It instructed adults to take six drops of "activated MMS" in a glass of water ever two hours.

"This should wipe it out this flu-like virus that many are being scared with its presence in this world," one of the church's websites said.

According to an application for a preliminary injunction, MMS is comprised of sodium chlorite, table salt and other trace minerals. A separate "activator" is sold which the Justice Department says is hydrochloric acid. When mixed together, the activator converts the MMS solution into chlorine dioxide, an industrial bleach.

"Despite a previous warning, the Genesis II Church of Healing has continued to actively place consumers at risk by peddling potentially dangerous and unapproved chlorine dioxide products," Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said in a press release. "We will not stand for this, and the FDA remains fully committed to taking strong enforcement action against any sellers who place unsuspecting American consumers at risk by offering their unproven products to treat serious diseases."

The FDA warns that there is no evidence to support the safety or effectiveness of chlorine dioxide as a medical treatment. In fact, the agency believes it poses a substantial risk to the health of anyone who ingests it.

The FDA has previously received reports of "serious adverse events" resulting from chlorine dioxide ingestion, including respiratory failure, liver failure and low blood cell counts, among other conditions.

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