London clinic uses bleach gas in unproven cancer treatment
9 reported
A London clinic run by a former ice cream maker is treating stage 4 cancer patients by sealing them naked in plastic bags and exposing them to chlorine dioxide gas, a method the operator calls "dangerous." Alastair Jessel, who runs the Battersea Park Clinic, discussed the treatment on a podcast popular among chlorine dioxide proponents. The protocol, known as Protocol G, was first proposed by Andreas Kalcker, a German promoter of the bleach-like solution. Jessel said no one in a private messaging group of chlorine dioxide influencers had tried the method before him. There is no scientific evidence that chlorine dioxide gas is safe or effective for cancer, according to Cancer Research UK. The clinic has been investigated by UK regulators, but no action was taken because it was found to be out of scope. The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency stated that chlorine dioxide does not hold a marketing authorization to be legally sold as a medicinal product in the UK.
What’s reported
Alastair Jessel operates the Battersea Park Clinic in south London and previously made artisanal ice cream.
The treatment involves sealing patients naked from the neck down in a plastic bag and exposing them to gaseous chlorine dioxide.
Jessel called Protocol G "the most dangerous protocol out of all of them" and said "nobody's ever done it."
Andreas Kalcker, who proposed Protocol G, told WIRED that with proper precautions it is "a well-tolerated procedure" and did not mention cancer treatment on his website.
Caroline Geraghty of Cancer Research UK said there is no scientific evidence that chlorine dioxide gas is safe or effective for cancer.
Jessel registered the clinic in December 2021 with no background in medicine or science.
In December 2024, Jessel said the clinic was raided by the Food Standards Agency and Trading Standards; bottles of chlorine dioxide were found on display.
The Care Quality Commission investigated but took no action because the clinic was found to be out of scope.
Natalie Passant said her father spent approximately $5,000 on treatment at the clinic for advanced prostate cancer before he passed away in February 2025.
Key figures
Alastair Jessel, operator of Battersea Park Clinic
Andreas Kalcker, German proponent of chlorine dioxide
Caroline Geraghty, senior specialist information nurse at Cancer Research UK
Fiona O’Leary, activist who reported Jessel to Trading Standards
Natalie Passant, daughter of a patient who died
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., US health secretary mentioned in relation to chlorine dioxide interest
Novak Djokovic, tennis star who visited the clinic
Sources: Wired
