The humidifier disinfectant incident and the selfexamination of environmental toxicology and public health experts

Ahn, Jong-Ju

doi:10.5620/eht.e2015016

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…First sold in Korea in 1994, these chemicals entered widespread household use in 2000. About 20 varieties had been developed by 2011; it is estimated that humidifier disinfectants were used by approximately 8 million people in the 17 years of their use (Ahn, 2015). According to data released by Korea's Ministry of Environment in August 2016, at least 258 people have suffered adverse health effects from humidifier disinfectants, including 113 fatalities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adverse health effects of humidifier disinfectants in Korea: lung toxicity of polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate

et al. 2016

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-Exposure to humidifier disinfectants was identified in 2011 as the potential cause of an outbreak of lung disease in Korea. It is estimated that over 8 million people have been exposed to humidifier disinfectants-chemicals added to the water used in humidifiers to prevent the growth of microorganisms-since their commercial introduction. The primary component of humidifier disinfectant products involved was polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG-P), a guanidine-based antimicrobial agent. Lesions observed in the lungs of patients were similar to those observed in laboratory animals exposed to PHMG-P. In this review, we outline the physicochemical and toxicological properties of PHMG-P, and introduce a putative mechanism for its lung toxicity based in large part on research findings to date.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adverse health effects of humidifier disinfectants in Korea: lung toxicity of polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate

et al. 2016

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“…In addition, there has been some discussion about the claims on the HD product labels. On the labels were reassuring claims such as “because it is made with a formula safe for humans, use it with comfort,” and “it is safe for children.” Regarding the issue, some news articles referred to these phrases as misinformation (Ahn, 2016; Lee, 2016; Min, 2016). One study reviewed the safety and health information placed on the product containers of 31 brands of HD products sold in South Korea and concluded that most companies were giving exaggerated and false information (Park, et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of Safety Claims on Consumer Chemical Product Perceptions and the Role of Warnings

Kim

2022

Hum Factors

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Objective To assess the effect of safety claims and warnings on perceptions of consumer chemical products. Background Manufacturers have two contradictory objectives: to increase sales by emphasizing the positive aspects of a product and to protect consumers from hazards of the product. One of the strategies that some manufactures have devised to achieve these goals is to use anti-warnings. Safety claims placed on consumer chemical products were examined to determine if anti-warnings influenced product perceptions. Method Two experiments were conducted. In Experiment 1, three consumer chemical products with manipulated safety claims were presented to 300 participants, who completed a survey to rate their perceptions of the products. In Experiment 2, the same products with the safety claims and added warnings were presented to 600 participants and were rated using the same measurements as Experiment 1. Results Safety claims on product labels decreased perceived hazards compared to no safety claims on products in both Experiments 1 and 2. In Experiment 2, added warnings raised the perceived hazards. Conclusion The use of safety claims on consumer chemical products had an effect on product perceptions by decreasing hazard perceptions. The addition of strong warnings on product labels mitigated this effect. Application This research provides empirical evidence suggesting that the use of safety claims decreased hazard perceptions of potentially hazardous consumer chemical products and can serve as a possible form of anti-warnings.

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“…In Korea, several types of HD were found to have severe adverse effects on human health. Before they were banned, around nine million people had been exposed to toxic HDs [1]. Many epidemiological studies have demonstrated the relationship of HD with lung injuries and fibrosis [2][3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterizing Subjects Exposed to Humidifier Disinfectants Using Computed-Tomography-Based Latent Traits: A Deep Learning Approach

Choi

Zhang

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Around nine million people have been exposed to toxic humidifier disinfectants (HDs) in Korea. HD exposure may lead to HD-associated lung injuries (HDLI). However, many people who have claimed that they experienced HD exposure were not diagnosed with HDLI but still felt discomfort, possibly due to the unknown effects of HD. Therefore, this study examined HD-exposed subjects with normal-appearing lungs, as well as unexposed subjects, in clusters (subgroups) with distinct characteristics, classified by deep-learning-derived computed-tomography (CT)-based tissue pattern latent traits. Among the major clusters, cluster 0 (C0) and cluster 5 (C5) were dominated by HD-exposed and unexposed subjects, respectively. C0 was characterized by features attributable to lung inflammation or fibrosis in contrast with C5. The computational fluid and particle dynamics (CFPD) analysis suggested that the smaller airway sizes observed in the C0 subjects led to greater airway resistance and particle deposition in the airways. Accordingly, women appeared more vulnerable to HD-associated lung abnormalities than men.

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The humidifier disinfectant incident and the selfexamination of environmental toxicology and public health experts

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Adverse health effects of humidifier disinfectants in Korea: lung toxicity of polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate

Adverse health effects of humidifier disinfectants in Korea: lung toxicity of polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate

The Effect of Safety Claims on Consumer Chemical Product Perceptions and the Role of Warnings

Characterizing Subjects Exposed to Humidifier Disinfectants Using Computed-Tomography-Based Latent Traits: A Deep Learning Approach

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