Pennsylvania’s top health official on Friday warned that no one, under any circumstance, should ingest or inject disinfectants of any kind.
“I can say that any type of ingesting or injecting a (disinfectant) would be extremely dangerous — extremely dangerous,” Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine said during a media briefing.
The warning came after Levine was asked to respond to remarks by President Donald Trump that seemed to suggest that medical experts should looking into ways to get disinfectants and light into the human body to kill the coronavirus.
“I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute,” Trump said Thursday after his research team presented studies that showed the virus doesn’t live long in warmer temperatures. “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 said Friday that he was being sarcastic. But the Surgeon General’s office even went so far as to tweet Friday: “A reminder to all Americans- PLEASE always talk to your health provider first before administering any treatment/ medication to yourself or a loved one. Your safety is paramount, and doctors and nurses are have years of training to recommend what’s safe and effective.”
State officials in Maryland said Friday they received more than 100 calls to their emergency hotline regarding disinfectant, according to the Baltimore Sun. The calls prompted the state’s emergency management agency to issue a social media warning.
Pittsburgh’s Poison Control Center at UPMC also issued a warning on social media.
“The reason these agents work to kill viruses and bacteria is that they are caustic to all living cells and organisms,” the center tweeted. “They would not differentiate healthy human cells from viruses in the body and the overall effect would be incredible injury and damage to someone who tries to treat or prevent disease in this way.”
Remember to follow labels closely to #PreventPoison when using cleaning supplies. Please DO NOT inhale, inject or ingest cleaning products! Michael Lynch, M.D., Medical Director of @MrYukPgh explains how these products can be deadly when introduced into the body. #MrYuk #PPC pic.twitter.com/OuXw5ppm4y
— Official Mr. Yuk – Pittsburgh Poison Center (@MrYukPgh) April 24, 2020
Levine said that in her years as a pediatrician, she has seen cases of young children unknowingly ingesting disinfectants and other cleaning supplies. She noted that it can cause severe burns to the esophagus, and some children require surgery and extensive hospitalization.
“I can tell you from my clinical experience that is an extremely dangerous thing to do,” she said, adding that she could not give a higher recommendation “not to do that.”
