(Adds company and lawyer comments)
April 24 (Reuters) - Lysol and Dettol maker Reckitt
Benckiser on Friday warned people against using
disinfectants to treat the coronavirus, after U.S. President
Donald Trump suggested researchers try putting disinfectants
into patients' bodies.
"Under no circumstance should our disinfectant products be
administered into the human body (through injection, ingestion
or any other route)," the company said https://www.rb.com/media/news/2020/april/improper-use-of-disinfectants.
Clorox, maker of bleach, said it was critical that
everyone understands the facts.
"Bleach and other disinfectants are not suitable for
consumption or injection under any circumstances," it said.
Trump earlier said researchers should try to apply their
findings to coronavirus patients by inserting light or
disinfectant into their bodies.
"Is there a way we can do something like that by injection,
inside, or almost a cleaning?" he said. "It would be interesting
to check that."
The comments sparked worry that people might misuse
household cleaning products.
"We have a responsibility as a company to make sure people
are using our products as intended and are following the
guidance on the label and not unintentionally misusing them
because of different suggestions," a spokeswoman for Reckitt
told Reuters.
"We wanted to make sure nobody misinterpreted his comments
and nobody would deliberately or accidentally use the product in
a way in which it was not intended."
Frank Vandall, professor of law at Emory University School
of Law in Atlanta, said the messenger was important.
"There are many people who could say that if the president
says it, poof, that's good enough for me."
(Reporting by Martinne Geller in London, Jonathan Stempel in
New York and Tanishaa Nadkar and Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru;
editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
