This is horrendous. It is caused by people who think they know more than the trained medical professionals because their favorite right wing talk show host tells them medical professionals are wrong. Those hosts are in it for political reasons, and most of them got the vaccines so they know they are lying, but it doesn’t matter that people are dying because of their lies. The people like this man selling bleach to cure autism are the same idiots that claim conversion therapy cures being gay. Also I want to make as clear as possible, autism like being gay or trans is not something that needs a cure! They are not diseases. Now I don’t know much about the medical advice and special needs if any that autistic people need. I do know many autistic people live happy productive lives while I have seen videos of kids in schools that need extra help. The one to ask Is Barry. Barry is a follower who comments often. Barry is autistic. He has helped me understand some of the bigotry, stigma, and torture done as treatment to neurodivergent people in an attempt to change them to act like others. That type of conversion therapy is simply torture and won’t remove autism. Again I did not know it was happening until Barry told me. So if you have questions, hopefully Barry will see them and respond. Hugs
YOUTUBE/JOE SALANTJoe Salant, an evangelical pastor and rapper, is the new spokesman for Safrax, which makes bleach tablets that are popular with those who belief ingesting the industrial cleaner can cure a range of ailments.
An evangelical pastor who briefly shot to fame in 2015 for recording a rap song in support of Sen. Ted Cruz is now selling industrial-strength bleach tablets to parents and has admitted that many of his customers are using the product to treat autism in their children.
Joe Salant, who grew up in an affluent New Jersey family, became a born-again Christian after coming out of drug rehab when he was in his early twenties, having spent six months in jail for drug possession. Recently, he has become part of the American Renewal Project, which aims to have a pastor from “every church in America” run for elected office by 2024. Salant preaches a Christian nationalist ideology that positions the church at the heart of all aspects of American society.
In his spare time he continues to release rap records with titles like “Human Sacrifices” and “Dies in Vain,” in which he raps about child trafficking.
In recent months he’s taken on a new role as the U.S representative for a company called Safrax, which markets chlorine dioxide tablets that are advertised on the company’s website as industrial products for odor removal, disinfection, and as cleaners for hot tubs and jacuzzis.
But over the phone, Salant said many people are using the treatments in an attempt to treat autism in children.
“Autism? Yeah, I mean it’s a common treatment,” Salant said, according to a recording of a phone call obtained by Ireland-based activist Fiona O’Leary and shared with VICE News. “We’re not allowed to recommend [our products] for it specifically but yeah, the protocols in the Andreas Kalcker book [which] we have on our website… it’s commonly used for that.”
“Autism? Yeah, I mean it’s a common treatment. We’re not allowed to recommend [our products] for it specifically but yeah.”
Andreas Kalcker is one of the most notorious promoters of the pseudoscientific conspiracy theory that a form of bleach, known within that community as a miracle mineral solution (MMS) can be used as a treatment for a wide range of ailments, including cancer, HIV, and autism. In 2021, Argentinian authorities charged Kalcker with selling fake medicines to cure COVID-19 after a 5-year-old boy died from suspected chlorine dioxide poisoning. The case has yet to go to trial.
Safrax is the latest company to profit off the belief that ingesting industrial grade bleach can have health benefits, a conspiracy spread for years by conspiracy influencers like Kalcker and Jim Humble, who died earlier this month aged 99. Despite repeated warnings from the FDA about the dangers of using these so-called miracle mineral solutions (MMS), companies continue to cash in on vulnerable people searching for a cure for their ailments.
If you have any information about people using Safrax or any other type of chlorine dioxide to ‘treat’ ailments and would like to share the details with. VICE News, you can email david.gilbert@vice.com.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other public health bodies have repeatedly warned against the use of chlorine dioxide, labeling it “a powerful bleaching agent that has caused serious and potentially life-threatening side effects.”
“These bleachers are health terrorists, preying on the most vulnerable in our communities and making big profit poisoning people—the police, authorities must do more,” O’Leary, who has autistic children and has been campaigning against peddlers of chlorine dioxide for a decade, told VICE News. “Autistic children are being abused. Cancer patients are being poisoned and often walk away from scientifically proven treatments to ingest this lethal bleach. I watch these people die. It is heartbreaking.”
“Autistic children are being abused. Cancer patients are being poisoned and often walk away from scientifically proven treatments to ingest this lethal bleach.”
But for the Delaware-registered Safrax, which is now being promoted on Facebook and Telegram channels dedicated to sharing information about chlorine dioxide, business is booming.
A message on the Safrax website informs customers that there is a 2-4 week delay in sending out orders specifically due to overwhelming demand for the product as a result of the tablets being featured on the radio show of pseudoscience conspiracist Mike Adams.
Adams, who calls himself the Health Ranger, founded the notorious fake health news website NaturalNews, and has links to far-right figure Alex Jones and the extremist groups the Oath Keepers.
Salant claimed on the customer phone call that Safrax has no official relationship with Adams, but added that “we’re fans” of his show. This is a claim backed up by Safrax owner Steve Dan, who told VICE News via email that he had never heard of Adams prior to his mentioning Safrax on his show.
However, it is easy to see the impact that Adams’ endorsement has had: Some Adams listeners reported on private Facebook groups dedicated to sharing information about using bleach as medication that they bought the product after hearing his show.
In a post reviewed by VICE News, one purchaser wrote that she had taken the Safrax tablets and was now feeling unwell. “I can’t find any information about the dosage of the tablets… and I am currently sick. I tried dissolving one in a gallon [of water] and it tastes like pure bleach. I just wanna get well.”
“I can’t find any information about the dosage of the tablets… and I am currently sick. I tried dissolving one in a gallon [of water] and it tastes like pure bleach. I just wanna get well.”
Another member of the group responded by linking to the Safrax website, where the company recommends adding 30 tablets to a gallon of water. However, the original poster pointed out this dosage was for industrial use, adding: “I just don’t want to kill myself by drinking too much.”
Safrax was founded in 2011 by Dan, a French national who is also known as Steve Jean-Paul Dan. In 2005 he was arrested on three counts of felony financial transaction card fraud the Dawson County Sheriff’s Office in Georgia confirmed to VICE News, and that case remains open to this day. Dan told VICE News he wasn’t aware the case was still open, and claimed he was arrested “merely because I was in the company of my friend who got arrested.”
For the last decade, Safrax has sold its chlorine dioxide tablets, which are produced in China, wholesale, marketing them as industrial cleaning products. Despite the recent popularity of his products within the bleacher community, Dan claims the company is not suggesting people use their products to cure medical issues.
“We explicitly advise against using our chlorine dioxide tablets for the treatment of any diseases or medical conditions,” Dan said. “If any such claims were made by Mr. Salant, that would not represent the views or recommendations of Safrax. We will investigate this internally and make the proper corrections.”
However the presence of Kalcker’s book on the company’s website suggests otherwise. The book, “Forbidden Health,” is one of the most widely read publications in the bleacher community, and contains an exhaustive list of the ailments Kalcker claims can be cured with bleach.
Dan dismissed the book’s presence on the Safrax site, telling VICE News it was there as “an effective SEO tool to enhance our site’s visibility.” On the phone call with O’Leary, Salant said he had read Kalcker’s book and “appreciates his work.”
When questioned about the credibility of Safrax’s owners in the phone call with a customer, Salant defends his boss, calling him a “very reputable person.” However, as well as the arrest in Georgia in 2005, a court in Hong Kong last year found that Dan had acted fraudulently by misappropriating bitcoins belonging to someone else. Dan told VICE News that the ruling “occurred because I couldn’t afford to hire an attorney.”
Salant said the company was planning on expanding its reach to Europe this month, but currently only ships to the United States and Canada. But, he said, many European customers are already circumventing this restriction by getting people living in the U.S. to purchase the tablets and mail them to Europe.
The tablets are stored in a distribution center in Green Bay, Wisconsin, according to Salant. But due to their recent increase in popularity among individuals rather than companies, he told VICE News, Safrax has found a new distribution center in Texas, which is due to open soon.
In an apparent attempt to make the company appear legitimate, Safrax has also sold its products with the logo of certification company NSF on its packaging, denoting that the brand has been accredited by the organization and is guaranteed safe. Dan claims that the company in the past had accreditation from NSF but had stopped in 2021 due to the high cost of maintaining it.
When asked to provide evidence of this certification, Dan failed to produce it, though admitted the company should not still be selling products with the NSF logo on its website.
NSF didn’t respond to VICE News’ request for comment but a notice published on the NSF website last year warned Safrax to remove the logo from its packaging.
The FDA declined to comment when VICE News asked if the agency was investigating Safrax for selling chlorine dioxide to people using it to treat autism or other ailments.
Multiple phone numbers listed on the Safrax website went unanswered when VICE News attempted to contact Salant this week, playing a recorded message from Salant asking customers to leave a message or send an email.
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Um how does that not kill someone?
It’s a continuation of the long history of chemical and thermal burns being used to punish neuro-divergent children. Boy with development delays wets himself – – boiling water. Girl with ADHD touches herself – – apply lye. Kid’s been driven to the edge of catatonic schizophrenia by the abuse – – well, then they switch to nails and knives.
I remember a time when we didn’t have the warn the public to not ingest bleach.
It’s funny, parents who “child-proof” every cabinet with cleaning supplies would give their children…
“Sure my child still has autism, but he’s deodorized, disinfected, and smells like a Spring afternoon.”
Scottie's Playtime 
Well at least it is better I guess than holding a child down in an overly chlorinated swimming pool but not by much.
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Hello Muttpupdad. That might depend on how long you hold the child under the water? Submerge them too long and the results could be the same, except maybe quicker. And neither would cure autism, just living. 😉 Hugs
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Given that the bleach can cause: burns of the mouth, throat, and esophagus; abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea; breathing difficulties and coughing; low blood pressure and slow heartbeat; shock and coma; delirium and confusion; death, I suspect drowning would be a less horrific end. Autism is no more in need of a “cure” than homosexuality, left handedness or blue eyes. Our brains are wired differently, we’re not broken.
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Hello Barry. I was hoping you would comment. As I wrote in my intro, I know of no one better than you for explaining the situation for autistic people. I agree with you that autism needs no cure and neurodivergent people are not broken. I never knew / understood what neurodivergent / autistic / on the spectrum people faced, I had not really thought about it. I feel bad about that. About the many names, what do you as an openly autistic person prefer to be called? I never know if to use autistic / neurodivergent / or people on the spectrum. Or if there is a difference. Sorry, but I am woefully ignorant of this subject, as I would bet many of my readers are also. I was shocked when you informed me that conversion therapy was being used as a recommended treatment for autistic children. That is barbaric! Barry I invite you to enlighten me and the rest of us about autism / being on the spectrum. You can add stuff to the comments or if you prefer to write something up for its own post you can email it to me and I will post it listing you as author. If you write it on your own blog please post a link in the comments. I am interested in the subject and how it has affected your life. I know how being gay affected my life. I wonder if it is similar to how your life was effected. Best wishes. Scottie
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Perhapts the saddest thing is that for the first 60 years of my life I was just as ignorant about autism as most people, and all that time I was actually autistic. It’s only in hindsight that I’ve understood that I wasn’t broken, i wasn’t actually the person many thought I was. I didn’t even know who I was as I had learnt to mask (hide) my true self so well. That lead to a health crisis and being forced into early retirement at 50 years of age. I learnt I was autistic 10 years after that.
You might find my newest post on the use of electric shock torture on autistic youth and young adults informative: https://anotherspectrum.wordpress.com/2023/09/22/ged-torture-not-treatment/
Thank you for your support.
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Always Barry. I hate being ignorant and welcome the chance to learn. But may I ask how being autistic even without you knowing you were affected your life? And what may be the signs others may see in themselves but have not diagnosed as being autistic? This is a fantastic chance for you to share and teach all of us. I wonder how many of the people reading have struggled with things might after you tell us will find that they also are part of the spectrum. I wonder if in some way a large amount of people maybe on the spectrum and not even understand they are. Thanks Barry. Best wishes.
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How did it affect my life? That’s difficult to answer for a number of reasons, but primarily because I have never known any other life. I was very fortunate that I was raised in a very loving whānau (extended family) who accepted my differences (or quirks and idiosyncrasies as they describe them) without question. Having said that, after I learnt that I am autistic, a number confessed that they were worried how I would manage in a world I didn’t fully understand, but their fears were allayed after they got to meet my wife.
However, with wider community was less accepting. For example my siblings would let me join in their games on the occasions I had the desire to do so, but their friends would not, demanding my siblings choose between me or their friends. This meant I was excluded from most childhood socialisation, and I learnt to entertain myself alone. I’d spend hours at my drafting-board designing cars and other forms of technology, or model boats and aircraft, some of which I built. I had a model railway that occupied much of my time where I constructed the landscape and cityscape myself, and even build some of the rolling-stock from scratch.
When I was around ten, carts were very popular (I think Americans call them trolleys?) Every boy in our neighbourhood (and a few of the girls) had their own cart, and and empty block of land was converted into a clay racetrack. Children would pair up in teams and take turns pushing the other around the track in highly competitive races that often included spectacular crashes. Of course no one would partner with me so modified my cart into a primitive land yacht. Although I never won any races on the tight curves of the racetrack, when we used the street, it was a different story. in a short distance race of say 100 yards or less I didn’t to too well unless there was a strong trailing wind, but on longer distances, and a favourable breeze, I would always romp home in first place. Until they banned me from competing. We lived in a quiet street so parents did not prevent the street racing. As to how fast I could get under favourable conditions, I once overtook a local resident who when she complained to my parents said she was travelling at 30 mph at the time.
Because I was socially naive other children enjoyed picking on me, and both kids and adults misread my attempts at socialising. For example I find making eye contact very uncomfortable, even disturbing. I can make eye contact or I can communicate. I can’t do both at the same time. This was (and still is) misinterpreted as me lying, being dishonest and deceitful. For example I was once detained by the police because my response at a chance meeting appeared in their eyes, very suspicious. I can’t read body language or read between the lines in spoken language so miscommunication was (and still is) a frequent issue. However it was (and still is) interpreted as me being stupid, or wilfully rude or uncooperative – never a case of mutual misunderstanding.
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Thank you Barry. I am sorry you had those experiences as a child, no child should be ostracized or not included. And it pisses me off how you have been treated as an adult. We all have differences and mistake things, but that doesn’t mean we should be mistreated or shunned. As you say it is just misunderstandings. I recognize what you said about not recognizing social clues in body language or conversations in the young man we helped as he was growing up and while he has lived with us. He simply doesn’t understand social clues, facial expression, body language, or sometimes badly misinterprets what is said. It has caused him trouble at his jobs and when he was growing up. Really nice guy and we love him, but we accept him as he is. Again thank you for sharing your experiences, it does help me (I hope others) to accept and welcome neurodivergent / autistic people. They are our friends, neighbors, and also our family members. Best wishes. Scottie
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