By You Soo-sun
Consumer complaints about the side effects of sanitary pads have soared following the recent controversy over Lilian products, according to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Wednesday,
According to the ministry, complaints filed to a public safety management institution have increased to 74 since Aug. 21, around the time the controversy over toxic sanitary pads swept the nation. No complaints had been raised prior to the recent uproar this year, and nearly none the previous year.
Complaints came to the Korea Institute of Drug Safety & Risk Management (KIDS), a governmental organization that collects information on foods and drugs and their side effects and provides consultations for damage recovery. Customers can file reports with drugsafe.or.kr or by calling 1644-6223.
The 74 cases will be reviewed by a separate sanitary pad safety investigation committee of experts outside of the government. The committee is considering different ways to deal with the complaints and has said it will review the requests by consumer agencies to conduct an epidemiological study on the alleged side effects.
Fears mounted over sanitary products in Korea after consumers raised questions online over the side effects. A research team also reported to have found toxic chemicals in some of the domestic sanitary products including Kleannara’s Lilian sanitary pads, which quickly came under fire.
Ecofem, a women’s environmentalist association, held a press conference Aug. 24 and said within four days 3,009 women reported having suffered side effects from using the products.
Among these 3,009, 66 percent claimed to have experienced changes in their menstruation cycles, 86 percent reduced menstrual bleeding, and 71 percent a shorter menstruation period. Five percent of them said their menstruation completely stopped.
Although Kleannara first refuted the claims, it later apologized for the concerns and began giving refunds on Aug. 24. Civic suits are also underway and ministry authorities have launched a special investigation into the products, the results of which are expected by the end of September.