False posts tout 'health benefits' of drinking toxic chlorine dioxide

The claim was shared in an image on Facebook here on September 12, 2023.

Thai-language text in the image reads: "CDS, chlorine dioxide solution has the ability to 1. detoxify the body, 2. increase oxygen levels in the body, 3. clarify and distribute the blood, 4. kill all diseases without having to determine which disease it is."

The caption of the post, which has been shared dozens of times, includes various other purported benefits of chlorine dioxide such as treating cancer, eliminating fungal infections and "rebalancing the body naturally".

Image

Screenshot of the false post, captured on September 19, 2023

Chlorine dioxide is a yellow to reddish-yellow gas that decomposes rapidly in air but is also soluble in water, according to the United States Centre for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) toxic substance registry (archived link).

It is used industrially as bleach to make paper and paper products. Because it can kill bacteria and microorganisms in water, it is used in small quantities to treat drinking water, as well as to disinfect public buildings.

The substance has previously been touted as a cure for Covid-19, debunked by AFP here.

The similar false claims have also been shared on Facebook here, here, and here; and on TikTok here and here.

Users left comments indicating they believed the claims about chlorine dioxide.

One wrote: "I want people to be open-minded about consuming CDS. It will improve your health. I used to not believe in it, but I was not healthy. When I tried it, I did not have to be afraid, I have been drinking for 5 months and my health is better."

"This is the best of the best. Nothing is better than this," reads another.

But ingesting chlorine dioxide is harmful to humans and exposure to high concentrations could even lead to death, a health expert from Thailand and international health bodies warn.

Not for human use

Teerayut Vilaivan, a professor of chemistry at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, told AFP on September 19 that the solution is "not intended for use on humans" (archived link).

"It should not be used on humans because it destroys cells and tissues," he said.

Misinformation about chlorine dioxide as a purported cure for diseases has circulated for decades, including HIV and more recently Covid-19, Teerayut added.

The government-run Anti-Fake News Center Thailand had earlier dismissed the same false claim in a Facebook post on March 15, 2022 (archived link).

The post said the use of chlorine dioxide solution was not approved by the kingdom's Food and Drug Authority due to the associated risks.

Toxic if ingested

The World Health Organization's Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has warned against the use of chlorine dioxide.

In an August 2020 warning, it said the substance "could be toxic if ingested and can have a variety of adverse effects" (archived link).

These effects include irritation of the mouth, oesophagus and stomach, as well as severe gastrointestinal disorders like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea, PAHO said.

Additionally, ingesting sodium chloride could also lead to a drop in blood pressure, which could impair the blood's ability to transport oxygen and lead to respiratory complications -- contrary to the claims made in the false post.

The PAHO warning also noted damage to the heart and liver were found in patients who consumed chlorine dioxide.

Regulatory agencies in the United States , Spain and Ecuador, among other countries, have also warned against its use (archived links here, here and here).