By Kim Se-jeong
The government announced Sunday a set of tough safety requirements for manufacturers of cleansing products, air fresheners, wet tissues and other daily necessities.
The measures, which will become effective next year, follows massive consumer complaints that some brands of wet tissues contain chemicals that are potentially damaging to health.
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, a shampoo manufacturer, for example, will have to provide a list of toxic substances, quantities contained, possible side effects and warnings regarding the use of such products. Such labels are not currently mandatory.
The ministry also said that the government will make a list of highly-hazardous substances that should be banned, and, for less toxic substances, the government will put a limit on how much can be put into each product. These rules will be required for all cleansing products and air fresheners.
Regarding wet tissues, the government will impose tougher safety requirements for the manufacturing process. Plus, manufacturers will be required to declare possible side effects on the products.
Also, the contents of cleansing products and air fresheners will be supervised by the Ministry of Environment, while wet tissues will be monitored by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Currently, the trade ministry supervises the safety measures for all of these products.
Sunday’s measures followed safety scandals involving wet tissues and a humidifier.
On Sunday, the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards released the safety test results on wet tissues, saying all the brands being circulated in the domestic market contain a small amount of cetrimonium bromide, an antiseptic agent potentially dangerous to human health if exposed to a large amount for a long time.
The inspection followed consumer complaints in September that wet tissues contained more cetrimonium bromide than necessary.
Separately, the relatives of those who were killed due to a toxic substance from humidifiers have filed a lawsuit against manufacturers and the government.
The trial will start on Dec. 4.
The scandal began in 2011 when a humidifier was found to have played a significant role in the death of a patient with lung failure. The victim’s family said that the company failed to mention possible side effects of the toxic substance on the product. The substance is known to be lethal to lungs if inhaled.