Victims said they used disinfectants throughout winter or while sleeping in enclosed spaces


Patients believed to have fallen ill because of humidifier-sterilizers had used the agents excessively over a long period of time, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday.

According to its latest report, 18 patients who have been treated for lung inflammation at Asan Medical Center said they used an average of 820 milliliters of sterilizers every month.

The amount is equivalent to double the industry recommendation of 10 ml a day. The average period of use was 4.5 months a year for 3.4 years, the report said.

The respondents said they were concerned that the use of unsterilized humidifiers could damage their health and had used large amounts of sterilizer to keep the devices clean.

The sterilizers distributed here are mixed with water and vaporized in the air for a long period of time. Six of them use polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate or Oligo 2-(2-ethoxy) ethoxyethyl guanidinium chloride. The chemicals are believed to have caused inflammation of the lungs.

“Many of the patients started using the sterilizers because they use humidifiers throughout the winter when they were pregnant or after giving birth. Some men used it to soothe their respiratory diseases that get worse in a dry environment,” the report wrote.

“Most of them used the agent during sleep but some used it all day long. Since it was winter, many of the patients tend to keep the door closed, which could have concentrated the sterilizers in the air,” it added.

A total of 28 people are presumed to have died of the disease, of which six have been acknowledged by the government. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has ordered a recall of six brands on the market.

Meanwhile, a government-affliated agency has come under fire for certifying one of the recalled sterilizers as safe.

The health ministry said Monday that one of the brands ordered for a recall, Gaseupgi Clean up, gained the Korea Certification Mark by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards, an affiliate of the Ministry of Knowledge Economy.

“Before, humidifier-sterilizers were classified as industrial product, which are exempt from tests on human respiratory organs,” said a health official.

The health ministry said earlier that all humidifier-sterilizers will be designated quasi-drugs subject to monitoring and regulation by the Korea Food and Drug Administration.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)