For years now, a cult-like church has been telling members to basically drink bleach to cure everything from cancer to HIV to Ebola. In April, members of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing even held an event in Washington state to promote their “effective alternative healing.”

In a promotional video for that event, a baby with malaria was shown drinking a liquid purported to be the bleach. It’s unclear if that’s what actually going on, but the baby was screaming afterwards.

A similar “treatment” was also said to be infecting up to 50,000 Ugandans. The people behind the scam are said to be Robert Baldwin, a pastor from New Jersey, and Sam Little, a former “clairvoyant” from Britain, who have been distributing their “miracle mineral solution” (MMS) to churches throughout Uganda. The mixture of sodium chlorite and citric acid (which mix to produce the bleach known as chlorine dioxide) got into the country via China, and the Guardian reported that Baldwin had personally convinced 1,200 clerics to administer the poison.

In 2010, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement against this bleach cure, saying that high oral doses of it could cause “nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and symptoms of severe dehydration.” But that statement is no longer on their site.

Thankfully, there’s a new one as of Monday. The FDA is warning consumers to avoid MMS at all costs.

Miracle Mineral Solution has not been approved by the FDA for any use, but these products continue to be promoted on social media as a remedy for treating autism, cancer, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and flu, among other conditions. However, the solution, when mixed, develops into a dangerous bleach which has caused serious and potentially life-threatening side effects. … The FDA recently received new reports of people experiencing severe vomiting, severe diarrhea, life-threatening low blood pressure caused by dehydration and acute liver failure after drinking these products. The FDA is not aware of any scientific evidence supporting the safety or effectiveness of MMS products, despite claims that the solution is an antimicrobial, antiviral and antibacterial. The FDA encourages consumers to talk to a health care professional about treating medical conditions or diseases.

I don’t say this often, especially now, but the U.S. government is right. Churches that promote this are poisoning members even beyond what they’re putting in their minds.

(via Joe. My. God. Portions of this article were published earlier)

