Judge Orders ‘Church’ to Stop Selling Bleaching Agent as COVID-19 Remedy

The Justice Department building on a foggy morning in Washington, on Dec. 9, 2019. (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

A federal judge in Florida has ordered a self-proclaimed church to stop selling a “miracle cure” it claims could prevent and treat COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP virus.

The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida has issued a temporary restraining order (pdf) against Genesis II Church of Health and Healing (Genesis) and its leaders from selling and distributing its Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS), which is a chemical product marketed to treat a range of diseases including Alzheimer’s, autism, brain cancer, HIV/AIDS, and multiple sclerosis.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned about the “cure” since 2010 after receiving reports that the product made consumers sick. Some people had experienced respiratory failure, life-threatening low blood pressure, and acute liver failure after drinking the product, according to reports received by the agency.

The solution is made of sodium chlorite diluted in water. When combined with an activator, the mixture creates a strong chemical, chlorine dioxide, that is used as bleach. Both sodium chlorite and chlorine dioxide are active ingredients usually found in disinfectant products and aren’t meant for human consumption, the FDA says.

As the United States began its battle against the CCP virus pandemic, prosecutors said the organization, which is run by Mark Grenon, Joseph Grenon, Jordan Grenon, and Jonathan Grenon, started marketing the Miracle Mineral Solution as a treatment for the disease.

On April 8, the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent a warning letter to Genesis asking it to take steps to correct the violations. In response, the organization posted the letter to its website with a statement expressing that it would fight the warning letter and continue selling the solution, according to the complaint. Genesis also told the agency that it had no intention of taking corrective actions.

“We DO NOT need your approval for any Sacraments or for anything we do in our Church,” the statement said.

The Justice Department then asked the federal court to block the organization from selling the solution, arguing that the product was not approved by the FDA and was unsafe (pdf). The department also called the organization a “secular entity” in its complaint.

“Despite a previous warning, the Genesis II Church of Healing has continued to actively place consumers at risk by peddling potentially dangerous and unapproved chlorine dioxide products. We will not stand for this, and the FDA remains fully committed to taking strong enforcement action against any sellers who place unsuspecting American consumers at risk by offering their unproven products to treat serious diseases,” FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said in a statement.

“It is vital that sellers of drug products comply with the [Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act] and do not sell products with false and misleading claims, especially to treat COVID-19 and other debilitating diseases, such as autism and Alzheimer’s disease.”

Genesis didn’t immediately respond to The Epoch Times’ request for comment.

According to the organization’s website, it refers to the products as church “sacraments,” selling them as “sacramental kits” that include a two-ounce bottle of sodium chlorite, which they refer to as MMS, and a two-ounce bottle of hydrochloric acid.

The FDA and FTC have also been cracking down on other companies that claim their products are able to cure COVID-19. In early March, the agencies sent warning letters to seven companies for selling fraudulent unapproved products claimed to cure, treat, or prevent diseases such as COVID-19. The products include teas, essential oils, tinctures, and colloidal silver.

The two agencies said these products pose significant risks to patient health and violate federal laws. They added that there are currently no vaccines or drugs approved to treat or prevent the outbreak and that vaccines and treatments are under development.