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By Shin Na-yun
Four companies have been accused of falsely labeling the germicide for a humidifier as “safe” although the sterilizer makes lung tissue stiff, which could be a cause of death, the Fair Trade Commission said Monday.
The regulator said that it has referred the chief executive officers of Reckitt Benckiser, Homeplus, Butterflyeffect and Atorganic to the prosecution over the false labeling, while imposing 52 million won in fines.
However, Lotte Mart and Glonm were only warned about their sales as they did not use the word of “safe” on their labels although they sold the harmful fungicides, an official said.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention concluded last year that the deaths of more than 10 infants and mothers were linked to the humidifier sterilizer which contained polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) and Oligo ethoxyethyl guanidium chloride.
These toxic substances are now designated as non-medical substances.
“Retailers should sell products involved in life and health when safety is guaranteed in a verification test,” said Lee Tae-hwi, consumer director of FTC. “We will continue to monitor where products are not labeled correctly, despite containing harmful substances.”
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