WASHINGTON, Aug. 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning against purchasing or using high-strength hydrogen peroxide products.
The FDA said its warning includes a product marketed as "35 Percent Food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide." Officials said such products can cause serious harm or death when ingested.
The federal agency recommends consumers currently using high-strength hydrogen peroxide stop immediately and consult their healthcare providers.
FDA officials said they are also working to stop companies selling high-strength hydrogen peroxide from making illegal medical claims about their products. Such claims are illegal because the products do not have FDA approval and are, therefore, being sold illegally for medical indications without any proven clinical value, the agency said.
As part of its efforts, the FDA said it issued warnings last week to two companies illegally selling "35 percent hydrogen peroxide" products on Web sites for the treatment of AIDS, cancers, emphysema and other serious and life-threatening diseases.
"No one has presented any evidence that hydrogen peroxide taken internally has any medical value," said Dr. Steven Galson, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.
