Parliament to open probe into toxic humidifier disinfectant

SEOUL, June 27 (Yonhap) -- Ruling and opposition parties reached a bipartisan agreement Monday to investigate the toxic humidifier disinfectant case that has become one of South Korea's worst consumer product scandals.

The humidifier disinfectant case came to light after four pregnant women died of unknown lung problems in 2011. A government-led investigation confirmed a connection between more than a hundred people who died of lung problems and the chemicals used to clean household humidifiers.

"We have agreed to form a special investigation committee to look into the humidifier disinfectant case that has caused many people so much pain," Kim Do-eup, the vice chief of ruling Saenuri Party, said after meeting with senior officials of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea and the People's Party.

The parties will come up with a detailed plan for the parliamentary probe and get it approved in a floor meeting on July 6.

The latest move comes as victims and their families have called on parliament to open an investigation into those who manufactured or sold the deadly humidifier disinfectant and enact a special law to prevent a recurrence.

Prosecutors have been investigating manufacturers and retailers of the problematic disinfectants to figure out whether they sold the products despite the health risks.

The government has found that the South Korean unit of Oxy Reckitt Benckiser, a British consumer goods company, and local retailers made and sold the product to unsuspecting consumers.

The victims have been classified into four classes depending on the likelihood of their illnesses or deaths being caused by the disinfectants, with class 1 denoting the highest relevance.

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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