The Tennessee Poison Center has seen an increase in calls related to cleaning supply overexposure as well as a jump in people hospitalized after ingesting hydrogen peroxide as Tennesseans try to ward off the coronavirus.

Since the coronavirus hit Tennessee, health care workers at the center, housed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, have fielded more calls from people across the state who have possibly overexposed themselves to disinfectants.

Dr. Rebecca Bruccoleri, the medical director of the Tennessee Poison Center, told The Tennessean that people have phoned the center for concerns related to bleach, hand sanitizer and all purpose cleaners.

“A lot of it is just getting exposed," Bruccoleri said. "Someone might ingest it or they might get it on their skin and be concerned about it.”

The surging calls are on trend with what's being seen nationwide. Across the country, calls to poison control lines related to cleaners and disinfectants have jumped 20%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

And Bruccoleri, as well as Lysol, pushed back after President Donald Trump speculated during a Thursday news conference that injecting disinfectants may help fight the virus.

“I think that people are looking for an answer and there’s a lot of misinformation on the internet," Bruccoleri said. "I think the important thing to stress is that people need to look at reputable websites and talk to their doctors before doing any alternative therapy. That’s a good screening measure.”

Increased calls related to bleach, hydrogen peroxide

Specifically, the doctor said there's been increased calls regarding bleach and hydrogen peroxide.

“Bleach should not be injected or ingested to prevent coronavirus," Bruccoleri said. No chemicals or cleaning products should, she said.

Most stores have been wiped of cleaning supplies, but bleach often remains, pushing more Tennesseans to turn to the chemical.

Bleach is caustic, which means it can destroy tissue, especially if it's ingested.

“It can be really, really dangerous," Bruccoleri said. “It can destroy your internal organs.”

Hydrogen peroxide has wrongly been touted as a cure-all for a variety of ailments and diseases, from cancer to HIV, and now the coronavirus.

Bruccoleri said since January she's personally seen five patients, including children, who have required hospitalization because of ingesting hydrogen peroxide. After being admitted to the hospital, all the patients recovered.

"This is incredibly rare," she said. “This is new for this area to have that kind of volume."

Two teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide can let out a liter of oxygen in the human body, the doctor said. When that gas has nowhere to go, it can be deadly, especially if it settles in your brain or lungs.

Lysol: Don't inject disinfectants

Thursday night during a news conference, Trump speculated that injecting disinfectants into humans could be a possible cure for COVID-19.

"I see the disinfectant that knocks it out in a minute, one minute," Trump said. "And is there a way we can do something like that by injection inside or almost a cleaning? As you see, it gets in the lungs, it does a tremendous number on the lungs, so it would be interesting to check that."

That musing prompted Lysol to issue a statement Friday that urged users not to ingest the cleaning product.

"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)," Lysol said in a statement.

"As with all products, our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines."

Trump said Friday that his comments were "sarcastic."

To contact the poison help hotline, call 1-800-222-1222 or text "POISON" to 797979. You can also call the poison center to get accurate information on substances.

Reach Brinley Hineman at bhineman@gannett.com, at 615-278-5164 and on Twitter @brinleyhineman.