ABA Blog: Chelation and Autism - FDA says DANGEROUS

2011-11-21

Chelation and Autism - FDA says DANGEROUS

"Products called chelators that are sold over the counter as treatments for autism, heart disease and other conditions are dangerous and illegal, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned in a crackdown announced Thursday.
The chemicals, which help remove metals from the body, are potent drugs that carry serious risks, including kidney damage, dehydration and even death, said FDA Medical Officer Dr. Charles Lee. "Chelation can be dangerous and can cause serious harm," Lee said."

"The National Institutes of Health in 2008 halted a controversial government-funded study of chelation and autism before a single child was treated. Other researchers found that rats without lead poisoning showed signs of cognitive damage after being treated with a chelator.
In 2005, a 5-year-old with autism had a heart attack and died while being intravenously chelated in the office of a Pennsylvania physician, according to court records.
And in June, the FDA sent a warning letter to the maker of a supplement called OSR#1 marketed to parents of children with autism. The compound was originally developed as an industrial chelator for wastewater treatment. The product was the subject of a Tribune investigation published in January."

Complete article @ Chicago Tribune

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