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Updated Thursday, January 21, 2010 10:38 am TWN, By Trine Tsouderos, MCT



	The chemical OSR#1 is used by some as a dietary supplement for kids with autism, in the hope of improving the children's lives. The chemical was first developed to separate heavy metals from soil, but the manufacturer says it is non-toxic and could be called a “food.” (MCT) Enlarge Photo

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An industrial chemical or an autism treatment?

DeLancey declined to discuss OSR#1 specifically, but she said the government prohibits companies from selling a product until the safety requirement is satisfied. Penalties can include warning letters, seizure of products or criminal prosecution. DeLancey said she did not know of any actions taken against Haley or his company.

Haley did not respond to questions from the Tribune about the FDA.

The question of whether OSR#1 was developed as an industrial chemical apparently was first raised by blogger Kathleen Seidel of neurodiversity.com, who wrote several long posts about the product.

On its Web site, CTI Science flatly denies that the supplement is an industrial chelator.

“There is an Internet rumor that OSR#1 is an Industrial Chelator. Is this true?” a statement reads. Then it answers: “No.”

Haley said he is marketing the product only as an antioxidant supplement.

“I am not breaking any law,” Haley said. “We are being very, very careful.”

Because taking chelators carries significant risks, treatments for metal poisoning are carried out under a doctor's care, with regular lab testing and only in severe cases. Among other dangers, chelating drugs can strip the body of metals necessary for health.

“Treatment of autistic children with a potent chelator is potentially hazardous and offers no benefits,” Grollman said.

A note on CTI Science's Web site indicates the product has been “rarely associated with short term diarrhea, constipation or fever.”

The Web site also states that OSR#1 “scavenges” hydroxyl free radicals, “allowing the body to maintain its own natural detoxifying capacity.”

But Vanderbilt's Roberts said that claim is absurd.

“Hydroxyl radicals are the most reactive radicals that are formed,” he wrote to the Tribune. “They oxidize everything, so in essence all molecules are hydroxyl radical scavengers.”

Consumers must get the product through a dentist or doctor, according to the Web site, which lists more than 550 doctors, dentists and others who work with the company. But the Tribune was able to buy 30 capsules of OSR#1 for US$60 directly from a compounding pharmacy listed on the site.

A year after the FDA requested answers about the safety of Haley's product, an autism group interviewed him about OSR#1. In the interview, posted on YouTube, Haley warns parents to be exacting when choosing what to give their children.

“Parents should know if you can't test and show the efficaciousness of anything you are taking for your child, don't do it,” he said. “There are so many snake oil salesmen out there, it's just incredible.”

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