Popular disinfectant producer Reckitt Benckeiser on Friday warned people that its products should under no circumstances be administered into the human body.
The company, which manufactures Dettol, issued this warning just a day after United States (US) President Donald Trump suggested that disinfectant could be a potential treatment for coronavirus.
“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),” Reckitt Benckeiser said in a statement.
“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),” it added.
“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 company said.
During a coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in US, an official presented research findings by the US government which showed that the sunlight and heat could weaken coronavirus.
It also suggested that bleach could kill the virus in respiratory droplets or saliva.
Trump then hypothesized subjecting the body to a ‘very powerful light’ could actually work and even suggested that disinfectants could ‘knock out’ coronavirus in a minute.
“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. 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,” said Trump.