The FDA has removed a webpage that warned families about dangerous, unproven autism treatments, including chelation therapy, shortly after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services.
At a Glance
- The FDA deleted its 2019 consumer update titled “Be Aware of Potentially Dangerous Products and Therapies that Claim to Treat Autism”
- The page specifically warned against chelation therapy, hyperbaric oxygen, detox clay baths, and “Miracle Mineral Solution” bleach
- Chelation can strip vital minerals and has caused deaths when used for autism
- Kennedy has publicly vowed to expand access to unapproved treatments like chelation
- HHS claims the removal was part of a “routine cleanup” of older web pages
The vanished page, last updated in 2019, told parents that “chelating important minerals needed by the body can lead to serious and life-threatening outcomes.” It also listed hyperbaric oxygen therapy, detoxifying clay baths, and “Miracle Mineral Solution” bleach as worthless and hazardous autism “cures.”
Chelation drugs bind heavy metals so they leave the body in urine. They save lives in cases of acute poisoning, but the alt-med industry sells them as universal detoxifiers. The FDA’s now-deleted post emphasized that no evidence supports chelation for autism and that people have been hospitalized or died after trying it.
Ars Technica noticed the disappearance on Tuesday, though archival data shows the page went dark in late December. An HHS spokesperson told the outlet the takedown was routine maintenance and pointed to a broader fraud page that still lives online. That replacement entry contains only a skeletal autism section with zero named treatments.
Another FDA page condemning chelation misuse remains up, but it was last refreshed in 2016 and devotes just one line to autism. Critics question why the agency erased the newer, detailed warning while leaving the older, thinner version intact.
This is not the first content revision sought by Kennedy. In November he ordered the CDC to overhaul its vaccine-autism page so it now says the government has not ruled out a link, contradicting decades of studies that found no connection. Kennedy has promoted that debunked theory for years.
During a May 2024 appearance on the Ultimate Human Podcast, Kennedy promised that HHS would relax barriers to unapproved therapies. He specifically name-checked chelation and conceded the shift would empower charlatans. “And of course you’re going to get a lot of charlatans, and you’re going to get people who have bad results,” he said. “And ultimately, you can’t prevent that either way. Leaving the whole thing in the hands of pharma is not working for us.”
Kennedy and allied “Make America Healthy Again” figures have personal financial ties to supplement and alternative-health firms. Critics contend those interests align with stripping regulatory warnings that might curb sales.
News Of Fort Worth asked the FDA for comment and was referred to HHS, whose spokesperson repeated the “routine cleanup” explanation. The agency did not clarify why other outdated pages remain while the autism alert was singled out.
Parents searching the FDA site today will no longer find the comprehensive list of discredited autism interventions. Advocacy groups worry the deletion could steer families toward risky, expensive protocols that siphon time and money from evidence-based care.
Key Takeaways
- A federal warning that protected autistic children has vanished
- Chelation carries real dangers when used without medical necessity
- The removal follows high-level pledges to widen access to unproven therapies
- No equivalent, up-to-date guidance has replaced the 2019 consumer update
