Salisbury woman reports parents, claiming they gave children bleach to 'cure autism'
A Salisbury woman is spreading the word after learning that some parents are poisoning their children with bleach.
Melissa Eaton has a 9-year-old son who was diagnosed with autism at the age of five.
While searching for more information about autism online, Eaton found a Facebook group with more than 12,000 members that discussed the benefits of using industrial bleach to cure their children’s autism, NBC Charlotte reported.
BBC News reported that videos about bleach curing autism have also been circulating on YouTube.
In 2018, The Washington Post reported that a father in Indianapolis accused his wife of feeding their child bleach to help cure her autism. She had read about it in a Facebook group, the report states.
Some parents reported forcing their children to ingest dozens of doses orally each day; others describe using anal methods, Salisbury said.
With the help of another mother, Eaton took screenshots of posts and reported abuse to Child Protective Services. Since 2016, Eaton has reported around 100 parents to social services.
According to NBC Charlotte, Eaton worked with Facebook to get one of the group’s pages shut down, but she said more groups continue to make websites and new social media pages.
While the FDA does not address bleach directly, it reports that "any products or treatments claiming to cure autism are deceptive and misleading, because there is no cure for autism" and "some may carry significant health risks."
There are some FDA-approved drugs that can help some people manage autism-related symptoms, according to an FDA article titled, "Be aware of potentially dangerous products and therapies that claim to treat autism."
Ingesting small amounts of bleach can cause vomiting and mouth irritation, according to the National Capital Poison Center. High-strength bleaches can cause serious burns if they come in contact with skin.
