WASHINGTON — The manufacturer of Lysol, a disinfectant spray and cleaning product, and the EPA both issued statements warning against any internal use after President Donald Trump suggested that people could get an “injection” of “the disinfectant that knocks (coronavirus) out in a minute.”
“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),” said a spokesperson for Reckitt Benckiser, the United Kingdom-based owner of Lysol, in a statement to NBC News.
“As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information,” the statement continued, adding that the company believes it has a “responsibility in providing consumers with access to accurate, up-to-date information as advised by leading public health experts.”
The Environmental Protection Agency also is reminding people to only use disinfectant on surfaces.
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The EPA said, “Never apply the product to yourself or others. Do not ingest disinfectant products.”
William Bryan of the Department of Homeland Security said at a White House briefing on Thursday that “emerging results” from new research suggest solar light has a powerful effect in killing the virus on surfaces and in the air.
But he said there was no consideration of internal use of disinfectants.
At the briefing, Trump also suggested that people could be treated with “ultraviolet or just a very powerful light” to kill the virus after Bryan’s presentation showed that the virus might not live as long in warmer and more humid temperatures.
Trump then also mentioned an “injection” of “disinfectant” to deter the virus.
“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute,” the president said. “And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? As you see, it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that.”
Trump did not specify the kind of disinfectant.
Medical professionals were quick to dispute Trump’s claims as “irresponsible” and “dangerous.”
“This notion of injecting or ingesting any type of cleansing product into the body is irresponsible and it’s dangerous,” said Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist, global health policy expert and an NBC News and MSNBC contributor.
“It’s a common method that people utilize when they want to kill themselves,” Gupta added.
