Kristen Brown of Bloomberg recently published a news article titled “The Church That Helped Bleach Go Viral As A Fake Cure”, and we at PureLine would like to set the record straight: chlorine dioxide is not what is commonly referred to as bleach!
Mineral Miracle Solution Brings Chlorine Dioxide Into The Spotlight
Miracle Mineral Solution, also known as MMS, is a product of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing. The main ingredient of MMS? Chlorine dioxide.
During the height of the pandemic, MMS became a viral sensation among communities looking for any sort of solution to the viral illness. MMS is a product with two parts: a sodium chlorite solution, and a citric acid or similar solution. The sodium chlorite mixed reacted with an acid creates chlorine dioxide.
Political and Scientific Forces Behind the Consumption of Chlorine Dioxide
In April 2020, a study was crafted in Bogota, Colombia to determine the antiviral efficacy of oral chlorine dioxide in the pandemic. In the capital of Colombia, a scientific trial was being put together, surveying 20 patients through direct intervention of oral chlorine dioxide.
While news of this study started to spread, it wasn’t commonly known that the study was being funded by the Genesis Foundation. Sound familiar?
But it is hard to put an immediate stop to word-of-mouth movements.
In July 2020, against the country’s health ministry recommendation, the Bolivian senate approved consuming chlorine dioxide for use against the pandemic. As a comparison in the United States, that’s like the U.S. government creating a law that directly goes against the surgeon general’s word. In South America, it became commonplace for people to consume chlorine dioxide as either a generally accepted, or legal solution.
Chlorine Dioxide Is Not What Is Commonly Referred to as Bleach
Kristen Brown says in her article, “When combined, the mixture [MMS] becomes chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide is bleach. And bleach is toxic and sometimes deadly.”
We are setting the record straight: Sodium Hypochlorite is the chemical that is often referred to as liquid bleach. Sodium Hypochlorite is found as the main ingredient for Clorox bleach disinfectants. The chemical formula is NaClO.
Primarily used in water treatment applications, Chlorine dioxide is an oxidizer with the chemical formula of ClO2. These are two different chemicals with different chemical formulas. Chlorine dioxide can be used in bleaching applications, but sodium hypochlorite is the chemical that is commonly referred to as liquid bleach.
As defined by FIFRA laws, any EPA-registered pesticide is toxic. But as the EPA shares, “to determine risk, one must consider both the toxicity or hazard of the pesticide and the likelihood of exposure. A low level of exposure to a very toxic pesticide may be no dangerous than a high level of exposure to a relatively low toxicity pesticide, for example.” This is partially why chlorine dioxide is used in treating water systems – exposure using trace amounts of chemical, with proper filtration, can lead to the elimination of bacteria and appropriate-residual levels for drinking water. This is why OHSA has created exposure limits for chemicals – as the benefits that chemicals can provide, at the approved exposure levels, in some instances are appropriate for use.
PureLine in no way endorses the use of chemicals in ways inconsistent with their governing-body’s approved labels. Always refer to the approved-label instructions for use.
If you are curious to learn more about chlorine dioxide, its properties for disinfection or odor removal, fill out the contact form below and a PureLine representative would be glad to discuss your business needs.