Lysol maker: Reckitt Benckiser, which is the company that produces Lysol and Dettol is asking customers not to consume its cleaning products after President Donald Trump suggested the possibility of injecting disinfectants to combat coronavirus.
President Donald Trump’s suggestion that Americans should inject themselves with household disinfectants as a coronavirus remedy provoked an apparently universal rebuke Friday — including from congressional lawmakers, the medical community and the makers of the cleaning products themselves.
The British company, lysol and dettol maker warned coronavirus patients Friday that human consumption of disinfectant products is dangerous. It issued the statement following “recent speculation and social media activity.”
And the Lysol maker said in a statement that “As a global leader in health and hygiene products, we must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion or any other route).”
Reckitt Benckiser, the Lysol maker said products should only be “used as intended and in line with usage guidelines.
“We have a responsibility in providing consumers with access to accurate, up-to-date information as advised by leading public health experts,” the company said.
So, this statement is a follow up on the remarks from President Trump on Thursday on the use of disinfectants.
Trump said researchers should try to apply their findings to coronavirus patients by inserting light or disinfectant into their bodies.
“And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in one minute. Is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning … it would be interesting to check that,” Trump said. “It sounds interesting to me,” he added.
In fact, the CNN’s Chief Medical Correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta was quick to point out that this is simply wrong.
“He also said it needs to be studied. Actually, it doesn’t. I mean we know the answer to this one,” he said on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 on Thursday. “I think everybody would know that that would be dangerous and counter-productive.”
Ingesting or injecting disinfectants is dangerous, according to a medical expert employed by the Trump administration. Food and Drug Administration chief Dr. Stephen Hahn told CNN’s Anderson Cooper, “I certainly wouldn’t recommend the internal ingestion of a disinfectant.”
And the US Food and Drug Administration regularly warns the public against drinking bleach, or even inhaling fumes from bleach. It’s also irritating to skin.
“President Trump has repeatedly said that Americans should consult with medical doctors regarding coronavirus treatment, a point that he emphasized again during yesterday’s briefing,” McEnany said. “Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines.”
McEnany’s defense of the president, however, did not reflect the reality of the Trump’s remarks Thursday, which explicitly encouraged further scientific study of the use of disinfectants on those who had fallen ill with the coronavirus.
“And then I see the disinfectant, where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute. And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning?” Trump said. “Because you see it gets in the lungs, and it does a tremendous number on the lungs. So it would be interesting to check that. So you’re going to have to use medical doctors with — but it sounds interesting to me.”
Although the president clearly directed those queries at the briefing to Bill Bryan, the acting undersecretary of Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security, he insisted at a White House event Friday that they were meant for reporters.
On Monday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said calls about poisonings with cleaners and disinfectants had increased more than 20% in the first three months of 2020 — as coronavirus cleaning increased — than from the same period a year earlier. Among cleaners, bleaches accounted for the largest percentage increase in calls from 2019 to 2020.
The CDC recommends using soap and water or bleach to kill the virus. Rubbing alcohol that’s at least 70% alcohol will also kill it on surfaces; 60% for your hands.
Also, we have seen previously what was added to the list of potential therapies for coronavirus patients in New York state’s largest hospital system who are critically ill are being given massive doses of vitamin C based on promising reports that it’s helped people in hard-hit China.
But in the interim, take the recommended precautions to keep yourself and family safe from the virus, including avoiding close contact with those who are sick by practicing social distancing and washing your hands frequently.
And please seek medical attention if you develop fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. Also, ensure that you practice social distancing and regular exercise while also boosting up your immune system.
— CNN’s Maggie Fox and Rich Phillips contributed to this report
