[THE INVESTOR]  The South Korean government on Sept. 12 found that Coway water purifiers have mechanical defects in cooling components that tainted water with powdered nickel, urging the three models to be withdrawn from the market.

Bits of nickel were discovered in dispensed water in three ice maker/water purifier models manufactured and sold by the country’s leading water purifier maker, between April 2014 and December 2015, with the number of users involved estimated at about 87,000.

The problem came to light after a number of consumers filed a lawsuit against the water purifier maker months ago, demanding a combined 1.6 billion (US$1.40 million) in damages for the defective products.

In July, the South Korea government formed a fact-finding committee comprising officials and experts from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and other agencies to scrutinize the case.

According to the inspection results, the nickel coating of the ice-making system was damaged during the assembly process of the water purifiers, so that the powdered metal was mixed with water when consumers drank water from the device.

It is widely known that breathing nickel dust can lead to lung cancer, but few studies have been conducted on the impact of the oral intake of the metal.

“We ask consumers not to use the problematic products as nickel can cause some health problems,” the committee said in a release.

“The government will order the company to recall all the products sold across the nation.”

(theinvestor@heraldcorp.com)