“DO NOT put hydrogen peroxide into your nebulizer and breathe it in. This is dangerous!,” the group said in a Tuesday blog post. “It is not a way to prevent nor treat COVID-19. Only use asthma medicine prescribed by your doctor in your nebulizer. Other chemicals can be harmful to your lungs.”
The supposed treatment garnered some attention in April 2020 when osteopathic doctor Dr. Joseph Mercola posted a video that claimed hydrogen peroxide could treat the coronavirus, according to a 2021 report by the nonprofit Center for Countering Digital Hate. The report lists Mercola as the No. 1 source of COVID-19 vaccine misinformation online. He joins 11 others whom researchers call the “Disinformation Dozen.” Combined, his social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have 3.6 million followers . . .
In an email to The Seattle Times, Mercola said “it is important to ensure that people use saline to dilute the hydrogen peroxide to .1%; 30X lower concentration than standard peroxide found at the local pharmacy..”
Imran Ahmed, chief executive of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, told the outlet even saline-diluted solutions can be harmful. “This is not just about the primary effect of telling people that hydrogen peroxide can affect COVID, it means people will reject other therapies when they are in trouble,” Ahmed told The Seattle Times. “It means people get sick and, rather than getting the treatment they need, they will start looking on Amazon for a nebulizer and hydrogen peroxide.”