Tide pod challenge for adults: Drink or inject bleach

We never thought we’d have to write these words, but here we are: Please, please, please do not drink or inject bleach.

Or Lysol. Or Clorox. Or any other disinfectant.

Doing so could kill you.

Remember not that long ago when we ranted and raged at teens and pre-teens for the sheer, potentially life-threatening stupidity that was the “Tide pod challenge”? You know, when foolish children filmed themselves eating colorful packets of laundry detergent to seem “cool”? This is worse.

Because this is adults — conmen and snake-oil salesmen and the president of the United States — telling scared, desperate adults that the solution to all their fears is just a dose of house cleaner away. And desperate people do stupid things.

In the week before President Trump suggested people drink or inject disinfectants to rid themselves of the coronavirus, the White House was bombarded with mail from a group called Genesis II. According to The Guardian, Genesis II is a self-proclaimed “church” and the largest producer and distributor of bleach disguised as a “cure” called “miracle mineral solution” (MMS). These snake-oil salesmen have been marketing their dangerous concoction as a cure for HIV/AIDS, cancer, the flu — and now coronavirus. The Food and Drug Administration started issuing warnings about MMS in 2010.

Trump likes to say, “What do you have to lose?” when announcing un-investigated treatments for COVID-19. Well, here’s what you have to lose if you drink or inject disinfectants:

A mouthful of bleach won’t kill us, but the most common symptoms are sore throat, nausea, vomiting and/or difficulty swallowing, according to the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center. If you’ve consumed any amount of bleach, you should immediately contact poison control at 800-222-1222. If you consume a more concentrated disinfectant (such as industrial bleach) or more than a mouthful, symptoms can include gagging; pain and irritation in the mouth and throat; pain and possible burns in the esophagus and stomach; vomiting; and shock, according to HowStuffWorks.com. Untreated symptoms can lead to organ damage and possibly death.

If you have consumed bleach, do not force yourself to throw up, according to the Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center. If you aspirate and some of the bleach gets into your lungs, you can experience an acute chemical lung injury.

Injecting disinfectant is far worse. With information from three toxicology experts, Slate reports that injecting bleach or isopropyl alcohol can lead to kidney damage and blood clots. The chemical will inflame the veins and cause an intense burning sensation. Usually, this pain would be enough to deter people from injecting more than a small amount, but if it doesn’t and they inject even more, such fools can experience cardiac arrhythmias and fatal kidney damage.

To summarize: A little bit will hurt you, a lot of it will kill you. No amount will cure you of coronavirus. So, do not drink or inject disinfectants — no matter what the president says.