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S. Korean humidifier sterilizer victims file joint lawsuit against gov't, companies

Xinhua, May 16, 2016 Adjust font size:

Hundreds of victims who suffered from toxic humidifier disinfectants have filed a joint lawsuit against the South Korean government, Britain's Oxy Reckitt Benckiser and 21 other companies, a lawyers association said Monday.

The Lawyers for a Democratic Society, or Minbyun, said 436 people filed the suit with the Seoul Central District Court against the government and 22 companies who produced or distributed the problematic products.

The list of plaintiffs included those who were directly injured by the products and those that lost family members.

Those who lost their family members and became sick themselves demanded 50 million won (42,400 U.S. dollars) and 30 million won in compensation, respectively. Families of the victims also sought an additional 10 million won for the mental distress they suffered due to the incident.

The humidifier disinfectant case, one of the worst scandals involving a consumer product using chemicals, came to light after four pregnant women died of lung problems from unknown causes in 2011. A government-led investigation confirmed a connection between people who died of lung problems and the chemicals used to clean household humidifiers.

South Korea confirmed 221 people as victims. Among them, 177 had used Oxy products. Out of 90 deaths, 70 are believed to have been caused by the Oxy products.

"The government is responsible for failing to fulfill its duty to protect the citizens from harmful substances," a Minbyun lawyer said.

South Korean prosecutors have filed charges against four executives of Oxy, involved in the development and sale of a humidifier disinfectant solution that proved to be toxic.

Prosecutors accused Oxy of evading the necessary toxicity tests before introducing the product to the South Korean market in 2001, and said that it was falsely marketed as being safe for children.

The chief of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser's Korean unit early this month made a formal apology and vowed to fully cooperate with South Korean authorities and conduct its own investigation to get to the bottom of the case. Endit