The Bleach Community Is Ready for RFK Jr. To Make Their Dreams Come True
In the months since US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. mentioned chlorine dioxide during his Senate confirmation hearing, the online community advocating for the use of the toxic bleach solution as a cure for everything from malaria to autism has become emboldened. Activity on bleach-supporting social media groups is exploding, and influencers are reemerging in an effort to push Donald Trump's administration to approve bleach as a mainstream treatment.
'We are thrilled that RFK Jr is in charge,' Michelle Herman, who sells a nasal spray containing chlorine dioxide and says she's discussed the topic with Kennedy, tells WIRED. She was pictured, along with other bleach enthusiasts and activists, at the recent Truth Seekers conference held at president Donald Trump's Doral resort in Florida.
Chlorine dioxide is sold under a variety of names, including Miracle Mineral Solution, Chlorine Dioxide Solution, Water Purification Solution, and God's Detox. Whatever name it goes by, it has been promoted as a cure for a wide array of ailments since the mid-1990s, and despite prosecutions and warnings from authorities, it continues to be popular in many parts of the world. It has been peddled as a 'cure' for everything from malaria to cancer, from HIV to autism to COVID-19. (There is no credible evidence to back up any of the claims that chlorine dioxide can cure any of these ailments.)
While Kennedy has a long history of promoting anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, he has not explicitly promoted chlorine dioxide as a treatment. However, in January, during his Senate confirmation hearing, he referenced chlorine dioxide while praising Trump for 'looking at all of the different remedies' for COVID, using it as an example of the open-mindedness that Kennedy characterized as a 'demonstration of leadership.'
Since Kennedy mentioned chlorine dioxide, groups dedicated to chlorine dioxide use on platforms like Telegram and Facebook are filled with new members and increased activity. (Telegram did not respond to a request for comment; Meta said it was reviewing the groups WIRED flagged and would remove any it determines violate the company's policies.) Activists who have spent years fighting to highlight the dangers of chlorine dioxide are now deeply concerned that the Trump administration could seek to approve its use as a cure for a wide variety of ills.
'The bleachers are back, making connections with powerful people, reaching RFK and Trump,' says Fiona O'Leary, an Ireland-based activist who has autistic children and has spent years trying to highlight the dangers of toxic bleach solutions being sold as an autism cure. 'Bleachers want RFK to approve chlorine dioxide as a treatment for autism, cancer, and other conditions. It is like watching a horror show.'
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