In Korea, since 1990s, many families have used humidifier at home and office, especially during dry winter seasons. Families with newborns, children, or old patients are particularly keen to avoid cold and dry airs. At first, the water tank of humidifier was cleaned with water only, mainly by shaking. However, in 1994, the first product labeled as humidifier disinfectant was marketed to humidifier users to be added into the water tank. A survey in 2011 indicated that more than 8 million out of 50 million Korean populations have used around 200,000 different humidifier disinfectant products during winter season.

Since early 2000s, clusters of rare acute interstitial pneumonitis of children were noticed every spring in Korea. The prognosis was quite poor and many of them died. In 2011 April, 7 pregnant women were hospitalized for acute severe respiratory disease of similar nature, and half of them died. Because of possibilities of epidemics and other potential public threats, Korean Center for Disease Control started an investigation in this event. In August 2011, the investigation found the humidifier disinfectant as being responsible for the acute severe lung disease of the victims.

On 11 November 2011, Korean Government released the 2nd and final results of animal experiment, and recalled 6 humidifier disinfectant products from the market nationwide. The Government further recommended not using a dozen of other similar products and asked for voluntary recall.

After the 2011 August announcement of Korean Government, hundreds of cases of similar disease after humidifier disinfectant use have been reported from all over the country to environmental civic organizations as well as Korean CDC. An Investigation committee was formed by Korean government which assessed 530 cases including 140 deaths. Shockingly nearly half of the victims are infants and pregnant women and almost 40% of them are family members.

Exposure investigation found that 12 different humidifier disinfectants had been marketed and many victims had used more than 2 products. Medical investigation found that about 40% of the victims are ‘definite’ or ‘probable’ in terms of the possibilities of terminal bronchiolo-alveolar damages, and the remaining 60% of the victims are ‘possible’ or ‘less likely’. It is guessed that there might be numerous unreported victims nationwide. Additional official registration has been going on till the end of 2015.

In this Government Investigation, 177 victims of the ‘definite’ or ‘probable’ categories had used OXY SSACK SSACK humidifier disinfectant, which is 80% of all 221 cases of ‘definite’ or ‘probable’ categories. In total, 92 victims in ‘definite’ and ‘probable’ categories have already died, and out of them, 71 had used OXY SSACK SSACK brand.

OXY SSACK SSACK has been a leading humidifier disinfectant brand, covering 80% of the market shares among 20 similar other brands. OXY Reckitt Benckiser (hereafter OXY RB) is the name of Reckitt Benckiser Korea, producing OXY SSACK SSACK since 2002.

Reckitt Benckiser is a well-known multinational company selling dozens of cleaning materials, hygiene related products for household in around 200 countries. Head Quarter office of Reckitt Benckiser is in London, UK.

It has been 3 years and 8 months since this unbelievable tOXYc chemical disaster was unveiled. But still all the producers are denying their responsibility. Several civil actions have been brought against the producers including OXY RB and 1 criminal suit. At present, Korean Government pays very basic hospital expenses and funeral cost for the ‘definite’ and ‘probable’ cases only.

Experts say that this biocide disaster is the worst in terms of magnitude and severity in 21st century. Academic reports have been made in several medical and environmental health journals, including AJRCCM and Thorax.

Papers on Health Damage from Humidifier Dis-infectants

• Health Damage from Humidifier Disinfectant - published by RIIC(Respiratory Injury Investigation Committee) of KCDC(Korean Center for Disease Control)
• Fatal Misuse of Humidifier Disinfectants in Korea: Importance of Screening Risk Assessment and Implications for Management of Chemicals in Consumer Products
• Unrecognized Bomb Hidden in the Babies’ Room: Fatal Pulmonary Damage Related with Use of Biocide in Humidifiers
• Inhalation Toxicity of Humidifier Disinfectants as a Risk Factor of Children’s Interstitial Lung Disease in Korea: A Case-Control Study
• Humidifier Disinfectant–associated Children’s Interstitial Lung Disease
• Estimating retrospective exposure of household humidifier disinfectants
• A cluster of lung injury cases associated with home humidifier use: an epidemiological investigation
• Humidifier Disinfectant–associated Interstitial Lung Disease and the Ardystil Syndrome - A letter to Editor of American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Volume 191 Number 1 | January 1 2015
• Humidifier and Environmental “chILD” Risks - American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Volume 189 Number 1 | January 2014

We Demand that Reckitt Benckiser Group plc should

1. Immediately withdraw all products using harmful chemicals worldwide
2. Acknowledge the irreparable harm it has caused by selling dangerous products
3. Give compensation to all the victims of the disaster who use Reckitt Benckiser’s product.
4. Ensure that all the safety tests including inhalation test of the products sold worldwide are conducted and released publicly
5. Hold camps to find out veiled victims.

To sign a petition demanding the company to accept our demands, click here

You can also send a mail to the below email addresses to register your protest

• Reckitt Benckiser Korea; info@oxy.co.kr
• Reckitt Benckiser Headquarters; sustainability@rb.com

Voices of the Victims

My name is Maeng Chang-soo. My Beloved wife, Hwang Nam-soon, died in 2011, at the age of 30, from using humidifier disinfectant. My wife began to use humidifier disinfectants since 1998, and came to conceive a boy in February 2002.

Read More Victim’s Voice (English and Korean)