President apologizes to victims of humidifier disinfectants

By Jun Ji-hye

President Moon Jae-in held face-to-face talks with victims of toxic humidifier disinfectants and their relatives at Cheong Wa Dae, Tuesday, vowing the government will lead efforts to compensate them for their physical and emotional distress.

Government officials and politicians who participated in the meeting also vowed to draw up measures to prevent the recurrence of such a tragedy.

Moon apologized on behalf of the government for its failure to protect the people, although the humidifier disinfectant case, one of the worst scandals involving a consumer product using chemicals, occurred during former administrations.

The case that came to light in 2011 has revealed up to 221 victims who mostly suffered lung problems. Among them, 177 had used Oxy Reckitt Benckiser Oxy products. Out of up to 90 deaths, 70 were believed to have been caused by products made by Oxy, according to the results of a government-led investigation.

“The reason for the existence of the government is to protect the lives and safety of the people, but unfortunately, the administrations failed to prevent damage from humidifier disinfectants,” Moon said. “The government also failed to actively and promptly respond to the health crisis. I offer a sincere apology on behalf of the government.”

He invited 15 victims and their relatives to the presidential office. Lim Sung-joon, a 14-year-old boy who has to rely on a respirator due to lung damage, was among them.

From the government, Environment Minister Kim Eun-kyung, presidential policy chief Jang Ha-sung and senior presidential secretary for social affairs Kim Su-hyun were present.

From the National Assembly, Rep. Woo Won-shik, floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), and DPK Rep. Hong Young-pyo, who chairs the parliamentary environment committee, attended.

Moon said manufacturers are responsible for the health problems involving their toxic humidifier disinfectants, but the government also needs to share responsibility.

He pledged to allocate money to push for additional measures to compensate victims and families in addition to the existing state support program.

In June, the government said it would offer partial living and caretaking costs for low-income victims, and expanded the number of hospitals designated to determine if a person’s health had been impacted by humidifier disinfectants.

“If a relevant law needs to be legislated or revised to support the victims and families, I will ask the National Assembly for cooperation,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Environment announced the government will implement a prior approval system for toxic products, such as disinfectants, starting in 2019, as part of measures to prevent a recurrence of such deadly incidents.

The two separate legislations to implement the measures were approved by the Cabinet on the same day.

Under the new rules, any potentially toxic products must be screened in advance for safety by the ministry before they are distributed to markets. A seller is required to submit documents detailing the possible toxicity of the substances used in the product.

The new rules also stipulate that the government imposes fines of up to 1 billion won ($888,000) on manufacturers if they are caught using illegal ingredients.