Hundreds of S. Korean humidifier sterilizer victims file lawsuit

A press conference is held on victims’ joint lawsuit against the South Korean government, Britain’s Oxy Reckitt Benckiser and 21 other companies over toxic humidifier disinfectants at a lawyers association’s office in Seoul on May 16, 2016. (Yonhap)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — Hundreds of victims who suffered from toxic humidifier disinfectants together filed a lawsuit Monday against the South Korean government and a slew of companies that sold the products, including British consumer goods maker Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, a lawyers association said.

The Lawyers for a Democratic Society, or Minbyun, said 436 people who have become sick or lost their loved ones due to the toxic products 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 include those who were directly injured by the products and those that lost family members.

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

Unlike the class action system established in the United States, where a successful case allows those who can prove they belong to the class to directly benefit from the ruling, in South Korea, such a case with a large group of plaintiffs can be precedent-setting but does not directly have an effect on those who did not participate directly in the legal battle.

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.

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1. red scare

   May 18, 2016 at 12:10 AM

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