An American pastor has been accused of distributing a poisonous “miracle drink” to thousands of Ugandans, including infants, according to a report by the Guardian.

Robert Baldwin, founder of a Christian nonprofit based in New Jersey, was providing a bogus “miracle cure” to almost 50,000 Ugandans, according to the outlet’s original reporting. In conjunction with Sam Little, a supposed British clairvoyant, Baldwin was promoting the substance as a cure for many diseases, including cancer, malaria and HIV/AIDS.

The cure? Known as “miracle mineral solution,” or MMS, the substance consists of sodium chlorite and citric acid, which combine to create chlorine dioxide, an industrial bleach. The U.S. Embassy in Kampala this week condemned the distribution of the substance.

In an interview with NJ Advance Media, Baldwin denied distributing the “cure” and said he had to shut down his operations because of the hate coming his way.

The pastor, who does not appear to be affiliated with a church, disabled his social media accounts and his website, Global Healing Christian Missions.

Baldwin, who is not a medical practitioner, trained roughly 1,200 Ugandan clerics to administer the “miracle cure,” and they then gave the concoction to members of their congregations, the Guardian wrote. The news organization also contends that the drink was given to infants as young as 14 months old.

“America and Europe have much stricter laws so you are not as free to treat people because it is so controlled by the FDA. That’s why I work in developing countries,” Baldwin said, according to the Guardian.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a public warning against MMS in 2010, when the promotion of the purported health benefits of the drink was spreading in the United States. The FDA urged people who had MMS to “stop using it immediately and throw it away.”

Reports of health injuries after the use of the product included severe nausea, vomiting and life-threatening low blood pressure from dehydration, according to the FDA’s warning. MMS has been banned in Canada and Ireland.

Baldwin acknowledged that he did not want to draw attention to his use of MMS, according to the Guardian. “You have to do it low key. That’s why I set it up through the church,” he said.

At least one expert in Christian missions said organizations such as Baldwin’s should not be confused with legitimate outreach.

“This is not missionary work,” said Jonathan Bonk, director of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography.

In a tweet Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Uganda said it was aware of an American pastor providing MMS to churches in Uganda.

“We strongly condemn the distribution of this substance, which is extremely dangerous and is NOT a cure for any disease,” the tweet read.