While Dr. Laundry is on vacation, he has allowed me to be a guest on his blog today. I've asked for this privilege, because I'm concerned about a recent myth I heard about, and as a toxicologist I wanted to help debunk this myth. Hopefully the parents reading this will let other parents, and their kids know about this dangerous and VERY untrue myth.

The myth concerns the belief that drinking liquid bleach would mask the presence of drugs in urine. This is just not true. In no way will drinking Clorox Liquid bleach mask the presence of drugs in urine. It is important to know that Clorox Liquid Bleach is not meant to be ingested. If it is accidentally swallowed, it's important to follow the instructions on the product label, which tells you to call the poison control center or a doctor for treatment.

Of course, you may know that Clorox liquid bleach can be used to disinfect water in the event of an emergency. In those instances, only a small amount of the bleach is needed, anywhere from 8 to 16 drops per gallon of water, depending on the condition of the water.

Noe Galvan, Ph.D.
Product Safety, Environmental & Regulatory Compliance