Senator to raise 'Miracle cure' group's Irish seminar in Seanad

Irish Examiner/September 20, 2014

By Fiachra Ó Cionnaith

A controversial US group selling a "miracle" cure for serious conditions, despite the fact the product is industrial-strength bleach, is planning to return to Ireland this autumn.

The Irish Examiner has learned that the Genesis II Church — which sparked outrage in July after a previous attempt to sell the product in this country — will hold another seminar on its “cure” here in mid-November.

The group claims its “miracle mineral solution”, also known as MMS, can “remove” a range of conditions such as cancer, autism, HIV and malaria.

However, it has been banned in the US, Canada and England after watchdogs warned it is an “industrial-strength bleach” that can cause “life-threatening reactions”.

After the Health Products Regulatory Authority, previously the Irish Medicines Board, issued an alert over the group in July on foot of information from this newspaper, it was believed Genesis II Church had stopped trying to promote the product in Ireland.

However, details on its website www.g2cforum.org, show it is planning to hold a two-day conference in Newtown, Moone, Co Kildare, on November 15 and 16 — and is asking people to pay a €285 “donation” to attend.

While Genesis II Church claims its seminars are on “water purification”, its own advertisements and website state they are about MMS, which “can remove cancers, heart disease, diabetes, malaria and auto-immune dysfunctions”.

Responding to news of the latest seminar, a HPRA spokesman said the issue is being “actively addressed” as the product poses a serious danger to the public.

“The HPRA is actively following up on this investigation and has carried out a number of searches in connection with it. The product referred to as MMS is not authorised as a medicine for sale or supply in Ireland.

“The HPRA continues to strongly advise consumers not to take this product as its safety and efficacy has not been independently verified by a competent authority for medicines.

“Consumers experiencing side-effects thought to be associated with MMS are advised to consult a healthcare professional,” she said, adding that the medical watchdog body “welcomes the receipt of any further information concerning the promotion and supply of this unauthorised product”.

The “non-religious” Genesis II Church was set up by ex-Scientologist Jim Humble in 2006.

Mr Humble claims he “discovered” MMS while helping a malaria sufferer in a Guyana rainforest in 1996, and says it is administered by “290 people in over 60 countries” — including people in Ireland.

In reality MMS is 28% sodium chlorite drops mixed into water, and becomes chlorine dioxide (industrial-strength bleach) when “activated” by a food-grade acid like citrus fruit, as advised by the group.

While Genesis II Church claims chlorine dioxide is safe for consumption because it is used to disinfect some water systems, the US Environmental Protection Agency has warned it is toxic to people exposed to it over extended periods of time.

Independent senator and former Children’s Rights Alliance chief executive Jillian van Turnhout is to raise the issue in the Seanad on Tuesday, saying the group is effectively “abusing” seriously ill people by selling them a fake cure.

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