The South Korean government is close to providing state support for more victims from the use of toxic humidifier disinfectant, whose suffering was deemed less directly connected to the problematic products.

Such a decision came after lawmakers at the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee on Thursday cleared a bill to create a relief fund for victims classified in categories 3-4.

The bill intends to force companies responsible for selling or manufacturing toxic humidifier disinfectant, namely Oxy Reckitt Benckiser and SK Chemicals, to make contributions to the envisioned 200 billion won ($166 million) fund based on quotas allocated by the South Korean government.

The legislation, if it passes the parliament’s plenary session early next year, will pave the way for some 300 more victims of the toxic sterilizers to receive state support.

According to the government’s current victim verification process, set in 2014, the scale goes from 1-4, with one being highly certain the health damage resulted from the use of toxic humidifier disinfectants.

Based on personal clinical results, diagnostic images and the level of exposure, victims who suffered lung diseases are classified as category 1 or 2 victims, while those with other respiratory-related diseases fall into categories 3-4.

The latest data in May showed that there were 309 victims of toxic humidifier disinfectants classified in categories 3-4, compared to 221 victims in categories 1-2.

Self-claimed victims, their families and civic groups have been demanding the government broaden the scope of the victim recognition and compensation process to include non-lung related symptoms.

Since July, the Environment Ministry has been providing government subsidies to humidifier disinfectant victims in categories 1-2 with monthly living costs and nursing fees.

When Oxy Reckitt Benckiser -- formally renamed Reckitt Benckiser Korea since 2014 -- announced the final compensation plan in August, categories 3-4 victims were excluded from the compensation list.

The company said it would compensate up to 350 million won to victims categorized upon government investigation as categories 1-2, but it was bitterly opposed by the victims’ group that the final plan does not cover all victims as it leaves out those classified category 3-4.

RB Korea is responsible for some 4.4 million toxic humidifier disinfectants sold between 2000 and 2014, accountable for 62 percent of the total volume in the humidifier disinfectant market.

In 2011, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officially confirmed the link between health damages of victims and the use of toxic humidifier disinfectant.

So far, 189 deaths, mostly of lung failure, have been formally recognized as being linked to the products. Damage claims filed this year have reached over 3,400.

By Kim Da-sol ()


koreaherald@heraldcorp.com