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Last month the US Food and Drug Administration warned that drinking or injecting high-strength hydrogen peroxide products, which are sold online to treat serious illness including AIDS, can be very harmful.

The products are promoted as "35-percent food-grade hydrogen peroxide." Conventional over-the-counter hydrogen peroxide is just three-percent strength. The FDA said the 35-percent products are highly corrosive and could lead to stomach ulcers and irritations. Injecting the products could cause inflammation and bubbles in the blood vessels, in addition to potentially fatal allergic reactions, according to the FDA, which said it had not approved 35-percent hydrogen peroxide for any use.

"No one has presented any evidence that hydrogen peroxide taken internally has any medical value," Dr. Steven Galson, director of FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said in a statement. "In fact, consuming hydrogen peroxide in the manner touted by these Web sites could lead to tragic results."

-- from Reuters