26 People Charged for Causing Employees to Develop 'Toxic Hepatitis' Despite Knowing...

Gyeongnam Police Agency Arrests Mr. A and Others on Charges of Manufacturing, Selling, and Using Cleaning Agents Containing Hazardous Chemicals

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency arrested 26 people for manufacturing and selling a cleaning agent containing hazardous chemicals that caused acute hepatotoxic poisoning, and among them, Mr. A was detained.

According to the police, Mr. A is suspected of hiding the fact that the cleaning agent contained the hazardous chemical chloroform by providing false Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) from around November 2021 to February this year and manufacturing and selling the cleaning agent.

The Material Safety Data Sheet is a document that explains in detail 16 items such as the hazardous risks of chemical substances, emergency measures, and handling methods.

Another suspect, Mr. B, and eight others were booked on charges of occupational negligence causing injury for failing to properly install legally required safety equipment such as local exhaust ventilation in workplaces using the cleaning agent, and the remaining 18 were booked on charges of selling and using the cleaning agent without obtaining hazardous material handling permits or having the necessary facilities, equipment, and technical personnel, totaling 26 people.

Chloroform is a colorless volatile liquid known to act as an inhalation general anesthetic, irritate the skin, cause local paralysis, and paralyze the brain when its vapor is inhaled.

It is used as an insecticide, mold remover, extraction solvent, and analytical reagent, and industrially as a solvent for oils, synthetic resins, rubber, alkaloids, and penicillin.

It is known that inhaling high concentrations can damage the liver and kidneys, and it can also be absorbed through the skin causing toxicity.

The Police Agency’s Medical Safety Planning Investigation Team confirmed that 29 workers at two domestic companies developed acute hepatotoxic poisoning called toxic hepatitis and formed a dedicated task force to begin the investigation.

They conducted raids on the workplaces of the companies, seized falsified Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and transaction records, and secured materials related to non-compliance with hazardous chemical business permit requirements in cooperation with the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Nakdong River Basin Environmental Office.

The investigation team stated that Mr. A and others provided falsified MSDS to 24 companies including Company B and Company C, and it was confirmed that they sold 122,416 liters of cleaning agents containing hazardous substances.

Four people including the representatives of Companies B and C failed to install legally required safety equipment in workplaces using cleaning agents containing the hazardous chemical chloroform, resulting in 16 employees of Company B and 13 employees of Company C suffering from toxic hepatotoxic poisoning requiring 2 to 3 months of treatment and being diagnosed with occupational diseases.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is conducting an investigation applying the Serious Accident Punishment Act to Companies B and C related to this case.

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency plans to expand the investigation by proposing stronger penalties for falsification of MSDS and improvements to related systems to prevent poisoning accidents caused by unawareness of hazardous chemicals, and by encouraging reports and tips on similar cases.

A police official said, “Companies that use hazardous chemicals that are fatal to humans but fail to establish legal safety facilities or properly comply with regulations to reduce management costs will be subject to intensified crackdowns in cooperation with related agencies.”

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