Major Miracle Mineral Supplement (MMS) marketer curbed in Illinois, USA

Posted 06 July 2015

Major MMS marketer curbed in Illinois

The Illinois Attorney General has obtained an agreement under which Kerri Rivera is barred from promoting Miracle Mineral Supplement (MMS) as an autism cure in Illinois. MMS contains a 28% solution of sodium chlorite, which, when mixed with an acid such as citrus juice, produces chlorine dioxide (ClO₂), a potent bleach used for stripping textiles and industrial water treatment. High oral doses, such as those recommended in MMS labeling, can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe dehydration.

Sodium chlorite is not legal to sell for human consumption, and legitimate suppliers of the chemical include a warning sheet stating that it can cause potentially fatal side effects if swallowed. Rivera, who has no recognized health-related credentials, claims that autism is caused by parasites and can be cured by MMS. She lives in Mexico but markets MMS worldwide and has promoted it repeatedly at AutismOne, the Chicago-based annual meeting that serves as autism quackery’s premier showcase.

Prior to this year’s conference, more than 1,000 parents signed a petition protesting Rivera’s appearance and some even picketed the hotel where the meeting was scheduled to take place. After NBC5-TV aired a very critical report, a representative of the attorney general’s office attended Rivera’s talk and the AG’s office demanded substantiation of her claims. Apparently unable to do this, she signed an assurance of voluntary compliance. Meanwhile, more than 5,000 people have signed a petition asking Amazon to stop selling Rivera’s book, Healing the Symptoms Known As Autism.

Quackwatch has additional details about enforcement actions against MMS.

From: Consumer Health Digest #15-26, July 5, 2015