Roughly two years since the COVID-19 pandemic, a man accused of selling industrial-grade bleach as a cure for the coronavirus through his Florida-based church has been extradited from Colombia back to the US.
False Claims of Bleach Curing Covid
On Thursday at the Miami federal court, Mark Ganon made his initial court appearance after his recent extradition. Grenon and his three adult sons were indicted in 2021 on one conspiracy to commit fraud and two counts of criminal contempt each.
Grenon, age 64, was the archbishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing in Bradenton, Florida. The church manufactured, promoted, and sold industrial-grade chlorine dioxide - bleach as a "Miracle Mineral Solution." The men claimed that the solution cured various illnesses from cancer to autism to COVID-19, reports APNews.
In 2020, a Miami federal judge ordered the church to cease selling the substance. However, the ogre was ignored by the men and was arrested several months later in Colombia.
According to the US FDA, when unsuspecting parishioners ingested the cure-all, the solution became a bleach typically used for industrial water, treating textiles, pulp, and paper. Authorities warn that ingesting the product equates to drinking bleach which can cause fatal injuries.
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Bleach Isn't a Cure-All: Everything You Need to Know
Almost everyone has a handy bottle of bleach somewhere at home. It is commonly used to whiten clothes and clean various surfaces. It is an effective disinfectant that can kill bacteria, mold, mildew, algae, and viruses. However, it can kill SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, on surfaces that don't make it a good alternative to self-medication.
There is no scientific evidence backing bleach as an effective way of fending off COVID in the body. What's more, is that drinking bleach can lead to serious health consequences and can be fatal, according to Healthline.
Bleach is a poisonous chemical that can burn sensitive tissue and is corrosive enough to damage the metal. Clorox and Lysol, leading household cleaner makers, have explicitly stated that drinking bleach and other disinfectants are a health hazard. The FSDA warned not to drink products such as the Miracle Mineral Solution, falsely claiming to have antiviral properties. Likewise, the FDA stated chlorine dioxide products that claim to be effective treatments for different diseases, including covid-19. The agency insists that they are not proven safe nor effective.
The damage bleach can cause the body depends on different factors, including a person's size and age, health condition, how much bleach is swallowed, what other chemicals are mixed in, and more.
If a person ingests bleach, they may start to vomit, which can lead to other problems. As bleach flows upward, it can burn a person's esophagus. It also puts a person at risk for aspiration. They may experience difficulty swallowing, suggesting damage to the throat or esophagus. Respiratory problems could also occur as an effect of breathing in the fumes.
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