Reckitt Benckiser, the makers of Dettol and Lysol, have been forced to issue a strong warning telling people not to inject or drink disinfectant, after President Donald Trump contradicted experts and wrongly suggested it could be ingested to treat coronavirus.
On Thursday, Trump suggested scientists should look into whether they could inject COVID-19 patients ... [+] 
Reckitt Benckiser 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)."
The British company added that its products should only be used as intended and urged consumers to visit Covid-19facts.com, a public information website created by Reckitt Benckiser, for accurate information on the crisis.
On Thursday, Trump stirred yet more controversy by suggesting that scientists look into whether coronavirus patients could be treated with light or disinfectants.
Trump said: "I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute, one minute. . . . 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'd be interesting to check that."
Doctors have since strongly condemned Trump's suggestion as "irresponsible and dangerous," and discouraged people from ingesting the toxic substances.
Reckitt Benckiser said in a statement on its website: "Due to recent speculation and social media activity, Reckitt Benckiser (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."
"We have a responsibility in providing consumers with access to accurate, up-to-date information as advised by leading public health experts. For this and other myth-busting facts, please visit Covid-19facts.com."
According to the CDC, calls to poison centers have risen sharply in recent months, for exposure to disinfectants and cleaners. There were more than 45,000 cases of exposure to cleaners and disinfectants to poison centers in the U.S. between January 2020 to March 2020, with data showing a dramatic rise in March. This is compared to 38,000 such reports to poison centers in January 2019 to March 2019.
Trump Suggests Injecting Coronavirus Patients With Light Or Disinfectants, Contradicting Experts (Forbes)
Improper use of Disinfectants (Reckitt Benckiser)
Rise In Accidental Poisonings From Cleaners And Disinfectants Linked To Coronavirus Pandemic, CDC Report Finds (Forbes)
Cleaning and Disinfectant Chemical Exposures and Temporal Associations with COVID-19 (CDC)
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I am a breaking news reporter for Forbes in London, covering Europe and the U.S. Previously I was a news reporter for HuffPost UK, the Press Association and a night
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