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Two men drank cleaning products to fight coronavirus

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, customers shop for cleaning products as market employees restock shelves in Aspen, Colo. Reports of accidental poisonings from cleaners and disinfectants are up sharply, and researchers believe it's related to the coronavirus epidemic. Such poisonings were up about 20 percent in the first three months of this year, compared to the same periods in 2018 and 2019.. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report Monday, April 20. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times via AP, File)
FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, customers shop for cleaning products as market employees restock shelves in Aspen, Colo. Reports of accidental poisonings from cleaners and disinfectants are up sharply, and researchers believe it's related to the coronavirus epidemic. Such poisonings were up about 20 percent in the first three months of this year, compared to the same periods in 2018 and 2019.. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report Monday, April 20. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times via AP, File) FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, customers shop for cleaning products as market employees restock shelves in Aspen, Colo. Reports of accidental poisonings from cleaners and disinfectants are up sharply, and researchers believe it's related to the coronavirus epidemic. Such poisonings were up about 20 percent in the first three months of this year, compared to the same periods in 2018 and 2019.. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the report Monday, April 20. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times via AP, File)

By Associated Press 2 min read

ATLANTA (AP) — Two Georgia men were hospitalized after drinking cleaning products hoping to prevent a coronavirus infection.

Georgia Poison Control Director Gaylord Lopez told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the men in Atlanta, who had a history of mental health issues, are expected to recover after drinking the products over the weekend.

Lopez said he does not know if the men ingested the cleaning solutions because of President Donald Trump’s musings on whether injecting disinfectants could treat the virus during a White House briefing on Thursday. The statements provoked an intense outcry from health officials and prompted RB, the company behind Lysol, to release a statement urging people to avoid ingesting their 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 company said.

The first man in Atlanta drank about 16 ounces of bleach on Saturday. He was treated in a hospital and has since been discharged from a psychiatric ward, Lopez said. Authorities did not reveal his identity but noted the man was in his 50s.