Chelation therapy for autism is a controversial and potentially harmful intervention based on the unproven hypothesis that autism is caused by heavy metal poisoning, particularly from mercury or lead. It is sometimes promoted as a treatment to improve behavior or cure autism, despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness.
Chelation therapy was widely promoted in the United States before 2010 by proponents of the Defeat Autism Now! movement, particularly among holistic practitioners. In 2005, the death of an autistic child undergoing this treatment led the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to suspend a clinical trial for ethical reasons. A 2013 literature review found no evidence supporting the efficacy of chelation for autistic individuals. In France, warnings regarding the use of this treatment began to be issued in 2011.
Chelation therapy is associated with multiple adverse effects, including liver dysfunction, kidney damage, and hypocalcemia. Due to its unfavorable risk–benefit ratio, several health authorities and organizations, including the Cochrane Collaboration, the (HAS), and the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé (ANSM), have issued recommendations against its use in the treatment of autism.
Context Chelation therapy is typically prescribed by physicians only in cases of confirmed heavy metal poisoning. However, it has been promoted outside medical guidelines as a treatment for conditions such as autism, Alzheimer's disease, and coronary heart disease. This use is not supported by scientific evidence and has been associated with individuals lacking proper medical credentials.
The emergence of chelation as a purported autism treatment occurred in the context of a lack of recognized curative therapies for the condition. Heavy metal poisoning, such as from mercury or lead, is not considered a cause of autism, which is largely attributed to genetic factors. British physician Michael Fitzpatrick, who is also the parent of an autistic child, has criticized the biomedical movement promoting chelation. He notes that this approach tends to frame autistic individuals as "polluted" rather than as having a neurodevelopmental condition, a perspective that he argues risks dehumanizing the individual in pursuit of an imagined "real" child hidden behind the autism diagnosis.
History
Origin of chelation in autism
According to several authors, including Michael Fitzpatrick, the rise in popularity of chelation as an is linked to the impact of a 1998 study by former British surgeon Andrew Wakefield, later discredited as fraudulent. The study falsely suggested a connection between the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine and the onset of autism. In 2001, the journal Medical Hypotheses published a paper characterizing autism as a form of mercury poisoning, which attracted significant media attention. In 2002, cell biologist Parris M. Kidd published two articles in the Alternative Medicine Review, proposing mercury as a possible cause of autism and suggesting that chelation therapy could serve as a treatment. In subsequent years, researchers Mark and David Geier released numerous publications asserting a link between mercury exposure and autism, and promoting chelation as a therapeutic intervention.
The hypothesis that autism is caused by mercury poisoning persisted despite the official retraction of Andrew Wakefield's fraudulent study and the lack of scientific evidence linking thiomersal, a preservative used in some vaccines, to autism. Alternative sources of mercury exposure, such as dental amalgams, fish consumption, and certain nasal sprays, were also proposed, although no connection with autism has been established.
According to Dr. Jeffrey Brent of the University of Colorado at Denver, claims linking heavy metals to autism are often based on studies conducted by laboratories that promote their services online to both the public and alternative medicine practitioners. These studies are typically of low methodological quality and are frequently published in journals with limited scientific credibility.
Spread and warnings in North America Despite the absence of scientific evidence supporting the presence of lead or mercury poisoning in autistic individuals, heavy metal chelation has been promoted and practiced as a treatment in North America. It is often marketed as a "miracle cure" and targets families seeking solutions, which can involve substantial financial costs. According to Scientific American (2010), journalist Nancy Shute estimated the cost of chelation treatment at approximately $3,000 per semester.
In 2004, a survey of 552 American parents of autistic children reported that 7% of the children were undergoing chelation treatment. A 2005 survey of 74 parents in New York and New Jersey found that 8% had administered chelating agents to their children. In 2009, an online survey conducted by the Autism Research Institute (ARI), an organization known for supporting controversial autism-related theories, indicated that 74% of 26,000 respondents believed chelation improved their child's behavior, while 26% saw no change and 3% reported a worsening. However, the survey did not specify which chelating agents were used, limiting the interpretability of the results. Another survey conducted the same year among 479 parents reported that 32 children had undergone chelation, with approximately half of the parents observing behavioral improvement and 6% reporting worsening symptoms. The most frequently reported behavioral change was a reduction in hyperactivity.
In 2013, toxicologist Jeffrey Brent estimated that approximately 500,000 autistic children in the United States were undergoing chelation therapy annually, despite a lack of clinical evidence indicating serious heavy metal poisoning. Brent characterized this widespread use as a form of patient abuse.
A 2009 survey of American physicians found that none officially recommended chelation for autism. Among respondents, 61% advised against its use, while 26% reported insufficient knowledge to express an opinion. Brent suggested that, in the absence of official guidelines, physicians may rely on informal decision-making influenced by the preferences of patients or their families.
In 2016, Canadian author Nathalie Champoux stated in Le Journal de Montréal, recounting her book , that she had used plant-based chelation and claimed the disappearance of autistic traits in her two sons. Similar testimonials appear in the book The Thinking Moms' Revolution (2013, reprinted in 2015), presented by its publisher as a collection of personal accounts from parents seeking treatments for their autistic children.
In August 2018, CBC News aired a report describing chelation therapy for autistic children as a "dangerous and unproven" practice. The report included expert commentary emphasizing the lack of evidence for benefits and the presence of documented risks. Rashid Buttar, a figure known for spreading medical misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, was also an advocate of chelation for autism.
Spread and warnings in France Dr. Corinne Skorupka, a physician trained in the Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) approach in the United States, promoted chelation therapy during a conference held in Paris in October 2002. In 2014, she co-authored the book Autisme: On peut en guérir with Laurène Amet, which included a preface by Luc Montagnier. An analysis of the book by journalist Olivia Cattan noted that it presented chelation as yielding "spectacular" outcomes. In 2012, the French advocacy group Egalited published a warning on its website concerning the risks associated with chelation therapy. The group denounced sectarian practices within the autism community and referenced a critical article from the website charlatans.info, which cited reported deaths and the discontinuation of several related studies.
Senta Depuydt, a Brussels-based journalist and advocate of alternative educational and nutritional approaches, expressed support for chelation therapy during the "Sortir de l'autisme" conference she organized in Paris in January 2016. She also promoted chelation as a "last resort" in a special feature published in the magazine in April 2018. In 2017, French author Christine Buscailhon claimed that a combination of dietary changes and "gentle" chelation had led to the recovery of her son from autism, a claim later republished in 2020.
In July 2018, the association SOS Autisme France issued a warning against chelation therapy, describing it as a pseudo-treatment and noting strong reactions from its proponents. In April 2019, a mother of an autistic child reported to the press that, after joining Facebook groups dedicated to autism, she observed the promotion of chelation by individuals claiming it could "cure autism." Parents were reportedly encouraged to send hair samples to the United States for analysis and to purchase chelating agents from abroad for treatment regimens lasting up to six years.
In December 2019, the French television program Complément d'enquête on the France 2 channel aired a report by Lorraine Gublin titled "Autisme: voyage vers l'inconnu", which included the case of a French father who paid a German naturopath to administer monthly intravenous chelation treatments to his daughter. The absence of a clear condemnation of this practice by the interministerial delegate for autism, , was criticized by a French association representing autistic individuals, which expressed concern over the potential risks to autistic people presented in the program.
In September 2020, the French National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM) issued an alert after identifying cases of chelating agents being prescribed to autistic children in France over several months. Concurrently, Olivia Cattan, president of SOS Autisme France, published , which reported on the promotion of chelation in various French-language books and websites focused on alternative medicine. Approximately fifty French physicians were reported to have prescribed chelating agents or antibiotics to autistic children outside authorized indications. The French Medical Council announced that it would initiate disciplinary proceedings in response.
Principle Chelation therapy involves the use of agents intended to remove heavy metals from the body, typically identified through diagnostic tests that are not validated for autism-related use. These metals are then excreted via urine or stool. Due to limited acceptance of chelation within conventional medical practice, some families seek treatment from naturopaths, who are more likely to administer it. In France, chelation is sometimes combined with and long-term antibiotic treatments, such as those associated with the Chronimed protocol.
Given the limitations of existing studies and the unclear etiology of autism, researcher Dan Rossignol has noted that behavioral changes observed in children undergoing chelation therapy cannot conclusively be attributed to the elimination of heavy metals. Such changes may instead be the result of other effects of the treatment.
Heavy metal detection testing Chelation therapy is typically preceded by tests that analyze blood, hair, or urine to assess levels of heavy metals. According to medical toxicologist Jeffrey Brent, urine tests are generally unreliable when conducted after the administration of a chelating agent, as comparing these results to reference ranges for non-chelated urine can lead to falsely elevated readings. Brent also questioned the reliability of hair analysis, citing the absence of well-established reference ranges and the difficulty in distinguishing between internal and external sources of contamination.