By Lee Hyo-sik
Health authorities have ordered manufacturers of six types of humidifier sterilizer to recall their products within a month, after concluding they caused a mysterious lung disease that resulted in the death of a number of pregnant women earlier this year.
The authorities also plan to conduct animal tests on 10 more types of sterilizer to check whether they are as equally hazardous to human health.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday that it had ordered five companies, including Hanvit Chemical and Cefu, to not only discontinue sales of their six products, but also recall them from wholesale and retail stores over the next 30 days.
“During necropsy on mice from the tests in which they were exposed to humidifier sterilizers, we detected pathological respiratory problems, similar to those in patients with the lung disease. We concluded it was highly possible that the sterilizers were the cause of the unidentified disease,” said Jeon Byung-ryuel, director of the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC).
Researchers conducted experiments on 80 mice, dividing them into four groups _ those in three groups inhaled three major sterilizer products for six hours a day for five days. Necropsies showed some of the mice in two groups exposed to two brands showed respiratory problems, he said.
Humidifier sterilizers are liquid _ or tablet-type chemical products which are put in the water of humidifier tanks to prevent germs or mould.
Under the law governing the safety of industrial goods, the health ministry ordered makers of six sterilizers to withdraw the products from all market shelves within a month. “We decided to ban the sales of problematic products and ask companies to recall their products as quickly as possible to protect public health. The Korea Food and Drug Administration will closely monitor the recall process,” a ministry official said.
Those who do not comply with the recall order will face an imprisonment of up to 3 years or a maximum 30 million won fine. Consumers who purchased the products can return them directly to manufacturers or bring them to public health centers.
The ministry has also advised people not to use humidifier sterilizers, which are not yet banned from sale, and instead rinse humidifiers with water at least twice a day.
A total of 28 people have contracted the unidentified lung disease since 2004, with 16 of them falling ill this year. Of the total, 24 were women of whom 13 were pregnant. In April and May, eight cases were reported _ seven women in their 20s and 30s who gave birth or were expecting to do so and a man in his 40s. Four of the female patients died after the rapid development of pulmonary fibrosis.
leehs@koreatimes.co.kr