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Miracle Mineral Supplement, often referred to as Miracle Mineral Solution or MMS, is the colloquial product name for an aqueous solution of 28% sodium chlorite in distilled water. The name was first coined by Jim Humble in his 2006 self-published book, The Miracle Mineral Solution of the 21st Century. The compound is essentially the same as industrial-strength bleach.

Humble promotes MMS as a cure for HIV, malaria, hepatitis viruses, the H1N1 flu virus, common colds, acne, cancer, and more. There is no clinical evidence for any of these claims, which come only from anecdotal reports and Humble's book. In January 2010, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that one vendor admitted that they do not repeat any of Humble's claims in writing to circumvent regulations against using it as a medicine. Sellers sometimes describe MMS as a water purifier so as to circumvent medical regulations.

When citric acid or other food acid is used to "activate" MMS as described in its instructions, the mixture produces chlorine dioxide, a potent oxidizing agent used in water treatment and in bleaching. The director of the New South Wales Poisons Information Centre has stated that using the product is "a bit like drinking concentrated bleach" and that users have displayed symptoms consistent with corrosive injuries, such as vomiting, stomach pains, and diarrhea. Sodium chlorite, the main constituent of MMS, is a toxic chemical that can cause fatal kidney failure.

Safety and legal issues

The Guardian has described MMS as "extremely nasty stuff, and the medical advice given is that anyone who has this product should stop using it immediately and throw it away. In Canada it was banned after causing a life-threatening reaction." In 2009, an American woman travelling in Vanuatu took MMS as a preventative for malaria. Within 15 minutes she was ill, and within twelve hours she was dead. The island nation's public prosecutor, Kayleen Tavoa, did not press any charges as there were no specific laws banning the importation of MMS, but advised, "While every case is assessed on its own merits, I advise that any person who misuses MMS in Vanuatu in the future would be likely to face prosecution for potentially serious criminal offences. No person should ever give MMS to another person to drink without advising them of what it is they are drinking and of the serious risks to health that may arise if they decide to drink the mixture."

In December 2009 an alert was issued by the Belgian Poison Control Centre to the European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists. In response to this, an evaluation was performed by the French "Comité de coordination de toxicovigilance" in March 2010, warning about a dose dependent irritation and possible toxic effects. They also warned that patients affected by serious diseases could be tempted to stop their treatments in favour of this alternative treatment. A similar notice was released in July 2010 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warning that the instructions for preparing the solution by mixing it with an acidic solution, or even orange juice, would produce chlorine dioxide, "a potent bleach used for stripping textiles and industrial water treatment." Because of reports including nausea, vomiting, and dangerously low blood pressure as a result of dehydration following instructed use, the FDA has advised consumers to dispose of the product immediately.

In the UK, the Food Standards Agency also released a warning, following the warnings from Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in which they stated that "MMS is a 28% sodium chlorite solution which is equivalent to industrial-strength bleach. When taken as directed it could cause severe nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, potentially leading to dehydration and reduced blood pressure. If the solution is diluted less than instructed, it could cause damage to the gut and red blood cells, potentially resulting in respiratory failure."

MMS is not approved for the treatment of any disease and according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, chronic exposure to small doses of chlorine dioxide could cause reproductive and neurodevelopmental damage. A short term study found no effects in hematological or urine chemistry or in physical symptoms in human volunteers over a period of 84 days. While studies of chlorine dioxide effects in humans are rare, studies on animal subjects are more common; chlorine dioxide has been shown to impair thyroid function and reduce T4 cell count in monkeys after 6 months. Another study in rats resulted in reduced red blood cells count when exposed to 100 mg/L of chlorine dioxide concentration in their drinking water, after 3 months. The United States Department of Labor restricts occupational exposure through inhalation of chlorine dioxide to 0.1ppm since concentrations at 10ppm resulted in deaths in rats, after 10 days while a case where a worker was accidentally exposed to 19ppm resulted in death. According to the same organisation "chlorine dioxide is a severe respiratory and eye irritant in humans".

See also

• snake oil
• quackery
• pseudoscience
• Rhys Morgan

References

1. "Miracle Mineral". Miracle Mineral. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
2. "Praise for Rhys Morgan, 15, over 'miracle' cure alert". BBC News Online. 15 October 2010.
3. F.D.A. Warning letter
4. Calligeros, Marissa (24 April 2009). "Backyard cancer 'healer' deceived patients". The Brisbine Times. Retrieved 28 December 2009.
5. Harvey, Sarah (2010-01-24). "'Miracle' chemical dubbed a danger". Sunday Star Times. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
6. Jensen, Erik (2010-01-09). "Deadly chemical being sold as miracle cure". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2011-02-18.
7. How To Use The Miracle Mineral Supplement
8. ^ "FDA Warns Consumers of Serious Harm from Drinking Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 2010-07-30.
9. Jensen, Erik (2010-01-09). "Deadly chemical being sold as miracle cure". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2012-01-24.
10. Sodium Chlorite - Summary Report of the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products - Veterinary Medicines Evaluation Unit
11. "Health Risks Associated with Use of Miracle Mineral Solution". Health Canada. 12 May 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
12. Acute sodium chlorite poisoning associated with renal failure. Lin JL, Lim PS. Ren Fail. 1993;15(5):645-8. PMID 8290712
13. Robbins, Martin (2010-09-15). "The man who encourages the sick and dying to drink industrial bleach". The Guardian. Retrieved 2012-01-25.
14. Gibson, Joel (January 9, 2010), "Death in paradise", The Sydney Morning Herald, ISSN 0312-6315, retrieved February 11, 2012
15. "Prosecutor decides no charges can be laid in case of death linked to MMS", Vanuatu Daily Post, The Trading Post, November 10, 2010, retrieved February 11, 2012
16. "Evaluation des risques liés à la consommation du produit dénommé « Solution Minérale Miracle » (MMS)" (PDF). Comité de coordination de Toxicovigilance. march 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
17. "Praise for Rhys Morgan, 15, over 'miracle' cure alert". BBC News Online. 15 October 2010.
18. Food Standards Agency. "Warning against consumption of Miracle Mineral Solution".
19. "Alert issued on danger supplement". BBC News. 2010-09-24.
20. "Chlorite (sodium salt) (CASRN 7758-19-2) | IRIS | US EPA". Epa.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
21. "Chlorine dioxide (CASRN 10049-04-4) | IRIS | US EPA". Epa.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
22. "Subchronic toxicity of chlorine dioxide and related compounds in drinking water in the nonhuman primate". 2010-02-25. PMC 1569048. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
23. "Toxicity of Chlorine Dioxide in Drinking Water - International Journal of Toxicology". Informaworld.com. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
24. ^ "Chlorine Dioxide". Osha.gov. Retrieved 2010-04-07.

• Alternative detoxification
• Alternative medicine
• Toxicology
• Toxins
• Health fraud
• Pseudoscience