SACHAMWI Estimates 670,000 Victims of Humidifier Disinfectant... Government Reports Only 1%

Social Disaster Special Committee Announces Research Results on Humidifier Damage Scale
14,000 Deaths from Diseases Related to Humidifier Disinfectants
6.27 Million Users of Humidifier Disinfectants from 1994 to Last Year
670,000 Experienced Health Damage
Social Disaster Committee: "Government Needs Active Damage Scale Assessment"

On the 27th, Choi Ye-yong, Vice Chairman (second from the left), and others at the Jung-gu Social Disaster Special Investigation Committee announced the results of a detailed estimation study on the scale of damage caused by humidifier disinfectants.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] A study has revealed that 670,000 people have suffered health damage from using humidifier disinfectants, with the death toll reaching approximately 14,000.

The "Special Investigation Committee on the Humidifier Disinfectant Incident and the April 16 Sewol Ferry Disaster" (Sacheomwi) announced on the 27th at the Sacheomwi conference room in Post Tower, Jung-gu, Seoul, the results of the "Precise Estimation Study on the Scale of Humidifier Disinfectant Damage." It estimated that about 14,000 people (minimum 13,000 to maximum 16,000) who used humidifier disinfectants were diagnosed with related diseases such as asthma, rhinitis, or interstitial lung disease at hospitals and died. As of the 17th of this month, the number of deaths related to humidifier disinfectants reported to the government was 1,553, which accounts for only 11% of the total deaths estimated in this study.

This study was conducted as a follow-up measure after the "Humidifier Disinfectant Disaster Truth-finding Hearing" held last year. It was carried out through face-to-face interviews with 15,472 adults aged 19 to 69 nationwide (5,000 households). The confidence level was 95%, with a sampling error of ±1.414 percentage points.

According to the study, the number of humidifier disinfectant users from 1994 to 2011 was estimated to be about 6.27 million (minimum 5.74 million to maximum 6.81 million). In particular, households with pregnant women or children under the age of 7 had an exposure rate to humidifier disinfectants approximately 1.2 to 1.8 times higher than general households.

Among them, the number of people who experienced health damage due to humidifier disinfectants was estimated to be about 670,000 (minimum 610,000 to maximum 730,000). Approximately 520,000 (minimum 470,000 to maximum 560,000) experienced "new symptoms and diseases" after using humidifier disinfectants, and about 150,000 (minimum 140,000 to maximum 160,000) experienced "worsening of pre-existing diseases" after use.

The number of people who actually received hospital treatment for health damage was estimated to be about 550,000 (minimum 510,000 to maximum 600,000). By disease, the largest affected population was rhinitis (342,111), followed by lung diseases (203,060), skin diseases (165,537), and asthma (130,951).

Choi Ye-yong, Vice Chairman of Sacheomwi, said, "Although there have been six investigations related to the humidifier disinfectant disaster since 2006, this is practically the first study to estimate the number of deaths." He added, "This study cautiously estimated the death toll at about 14,000, but the actual number could be higher." He also emphasized, "More precise follow-up investigations at the government level, such as a nationwide census, are necessary."

Notably, while the study estimated about 670,000 people experienced health damage from humidifier disinfectants, the number of health damage reports received by government agencies such as the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health and Welfare over the past nine years (2011?2020) was only 6,817, which is about 1%.

Sacheomwi pointed out, "This result shows the need for more active government efforts to find victims and expand recognized diseases for truth-finding," and stated that ▲ a government-wide effort involving the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Health and Welfare, and others to grasp the scale of damage through medical information of exposed individuals and victims ▲ and the establishment of a system to track and manage diseases of confirmed exposed individuals and victims are necessary.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.