Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan filed a lawsuit to stop the sale of a potentially toxic chemical agent touted as a miracle cure last month at a Houston church-sponsored event.

The suit, filed Friday in Harris County district court, seeks a temporary injunction prohibiting the Genesis 2 Church of Health and Healing from promoting or distributing the "Miracle Mineral Solution," also known as MMS.

MMS is a sodium chlorite, a potent chemical used in pesticides, fracking and fabric bleaching. which can potentially be fatal if swallowed, according to authorities. The church claims it is effective against cancer, AIDS, arthritis, malaria, acne, erectile dysfunction and a score of other ailments.

"This product is nothing but an industrial bleach concoction that poses a serious health risk to Harris County residents," Ryan said. "The promoter's claim that this product can solve practically every ailment known to man is not only ridiculous but dangerous to the persons who use it."

The suit, filed on behalf of the state, names Shane Hawkins, a former Angleton firearms dealer and a local bishop of the "non-religious church." It notes that attendees of "seminars" held in Harris County must pay a $500 cash "donation" in an envelope labeled "Genesis II Church donation c/o Rev. Shane Hawkins," and that those who finish the course are promised that they will know "how to restore health from 95 percent of the diseases of mankind" and may "legally" use the prefix "Dr." with their name.

The lawsuit alleges that Hawkins has violated the state's Deceptive Trade Practices Act because of its "fraudulent claims about MMS and by promoting, manufacturing and selling MMS, a drug that is not legally approved as safe and effective for use." It seeks a permanent injunction upon final hearing.

The Chronicle wrote about the church's claims ahead of its April 29-May 1 seminar in this story.