Only learned of this last week. Here's the wiki entry:
BDTH2 (also called BDET and BDETH2; trade names B9, MetX and OSR#1) is a powerful chelation agent that is marketed as a dietary supplement to parents of children with autism, and can be used to separate heavy metals from mining drainage and other polluted soil.[1][2]
Contents [hide]
1 Industrial use
2 Medical use
3 See also
4 References
[edit] Industrial use
Along with its derivatives, BDTH2 can remove mercury from water for industrial applications under a wide range of conditions, including the high pH and cyanide of the effluent from gold mining. In industrial use, BDTH2 is easy to make, does not form disulfides, and can be used either as-is or in the form of sodium or potassium salts that are more soluble in water. BDTH2 costs less than $0.25 per gram when made a laboratory, and is less expensive when made in large quantities. It is non-toxic by comparison to other mercury treatment technologies.[3]
BDTH2 binds to mercury with a strong, nonpolar covalent bond within a water-insoluble organic framework. The resulting BDT–Hg precipitate is stable, and leaches mercury only under highly acidic or basic conditions. BDTH2 also binds to other elements, including arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and selenium.[3] It is effective and economical for removing small traces of mercury from polluted soil, as the precipitate is inert and can be left in the soil after treatment.[2]
[edit] Medical use
BDTH2 is marketed under the name OSR#1 as a dietary supplement to parents of children with autism.[1] It has no known biological toxicity.[3] It has not been evaluated for safety or effectiveness by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 2008 the FDA sent a letter to Boyd Haley, president of the company who markets the compound for autism, asking for the basis for the company's claim that OSR#1 could be expected to be safe and considered a dietary ingredient rather than a drug; Haley did not respond.[1]
N.B. Haley also refused to respond to the same queries from a Los Angeles Times reporter.
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