The company that makes Lysol is urging customers not to consume its products after claims that "injecting" disinfectants could cure and protect people from coronavirus.
Reckitt Benckiser (RB), a British company, warned Friday that human intake of disinfectant merchandise is dangerous. The company, which also sells Dettol in the United Kingdom, issued the statement following "latest speculation and social media activity."
Claims have been circulating online, suggesting that medical experts should try exposing the human body to UV light and injecting disinfectants as a treatment for coronavirus.
Rumors also speculated that bleach should kill the virus in saliva or respiratory fluids in five minutes, and isopropyl alcohol "should kill it even more quickly."
The said claims were made after acting Undersecretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security William Bryan told reporters about the impacts of light, bleach, and isopropyl alcohol on coronavirus.
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Use disinfectants as intended
Due to recent speculation and social media activity, RB said in a statement on its website they "[were] asked whether internal administration of disinfectants [might] be appropriate for investigation or use as a treatment for coronavirus."
"Our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines," RB wrote in the statement. The company also urged the public to read the label and safety information of the products. RB added it has to provide customers with access to accurate, up-to-date statistics as recommended by official public health experts.
A spokesperson for Reckitt Benckiser told NBC News that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body through injection, ingestion, or any other route.
What the medical reactions had been
Medical professionals were quick to dispute allegations, saying consuming the said products could have fatal results.
CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, said on CNN's Anderson Cooper 360 on Thursday that "everyone should know that [ingesting the products] would be risky and counter-productive."
Consuming or injecting disinfectants is dangerous, according to a state-hired medical expert. Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist, global health policy expert, told CNBC the notion of injecting or ingesting any cleansing product into the body is irresponsible, and it's dangerous.
Food and Drug Administration leader Dr. Stephen Hahn told CNN's Anderson Cooper, "I actually wouldn't endorse the internal ingestion of a disinfectant."
The US Food and Drug Administration frequently warns the public against drinking bleach, or even breathing in fumes from the bleach. Pulmonologist John Balmes told Bloomberg News inhaling chlorine bleach would be absolutely the worst thing for the lungs. "The airway and lungs are not made to be exposed to even an aerosol of disinfectant," Balmes added.
On Monday, Apr. 20, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted several reports about poisonings with cleaners and disinfectants, which had increased more than 20 percent in the first three months of 2020 -- as coronavirus cleaning increased -- than from the same period last year. Among cleaners, bleaches accounted for the largest percentage increase in calls from 2019 to 2020.
The CDC recommends the use of soap and water or bleach to kill the virus. Rubbing alcohol that's as a minimum 70% alcohol may also kill it on surfaces; 60% on your hands.
