'Under no circumstance': Maker of Dettol, Lysol warns against injecting disinfectant after Trump suggestion

After US President Donald Trump suggested the possibility of studying injecting disinfectants into COVID-19 patients or bringing UV light "inside" their bodies to kill the deadly virus, Lysol and Dettol maker issued a strong warning asking people not to inject or drink disinfectant.

Trump's suggestion came after Homeland Security for Science and Technology Under Secretary Bill Bryan on Thursday said the coronavirus dies at a much more rapid pace when exposed to sunlight and humidity. He was referring to a new scientific study conducted by his department.

"The virus dies the quickest in direct sunlight. Isopropyl alcohol will kill the virus in 30 seconds," Bryan said during White House briefing in the presence of President Trump and his COVID-19 response team.

Latching on to Bryan's words, Trump wondered if there was a possibility of injecting the chemical into a person infected with COVID-19 as a deterrent to the virus.

"I see the disinfectant that 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 inside the lungs and it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that," the US president said.

This drew immediate flak from health experts while Reckitt Benckiser, the maker of Dettol and Lysol, urged people not to administer disinfectant products into the human body.

"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 Benckiser said.

We must be clear that under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be administered into the human body through injection, ingestion (drinking) or any other route, the company said.

"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," it said.

The statement eas also posted on Dettol India's website.

Disinfectants of all kind are highly toxic and are not to be used on human body under any circumstances. In India, the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued an advisory against the spraying of disinfectant on people in any circumstances as it is harmful.

"Spraying of individuals or groups is NOT recommended under any circumstances. Spraying an individual or group with chemical disinfectants is physically and psychologically harmful," the ministry said last week.

Trump also raised the possibility of using "powerful light" or ultraviolet against the deadly viral infection.

"So, supposing we hit the body with a tremendous (force), whether it's ultraviolet or just very powerful light - and I think you said that hasn't been checked but you're going to test it. And then I said supposing you brought the light inside the body, which you can do either through the skin or in some other way. And I think you said you're going to test that, too. Sounds interesting," Trump said to Bryan during the daily press briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The US is the worst-hit by the novel coronavirus which has claimed over 50,000 people and infected over 8.8 lakh peole in the country.