Internal administration of disinfectants

Apr 24th, 2020 | By
Category: Notes and Comment Blog

For some reason the makers of Lysol and Dettol have issued a statement saying don’t drink the stuff.

Due to recent speculation and social media activity, RB (the makers of Lysol and Dettol) has been asked whether internal administration of disinfectants may be appropriate for investigation or use as a treatment for coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

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).  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.

I feel as if I’ve always known this, doubtless because the warnings came so early in childhood that I’ve forgotten them. I wouldn’t, for instance, scrub something with Lysol or any other cleaning product and then eat say an apple or a sandwich without washing my hands first. You just don’t let that stuff into your GI tract in any way.

BuzzFeed adds:

Speaking at the UK government’s daily coronavirus briefing on Friday evening, deputy chief medical officer Jenny Harries also urged people not to follow the president’s suggestion.

“Clearly, we would not support [that], from a medical professional perspective, it is really important that people use appropriate treatments that are evidence-based and tested,” she said.

More advice: don’t eat or inject motor oil, perfume, lighter fluid, nail polish, nail polish remover, kerosene, turpentine, shampoo, shaving cream, stain remover, glue, fertilizer, gypsum, nose drops…the list is long. Keep all of them at a safe distance from your mouth.

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