South Korean humidifier disinfectant case | |
Hangul | 가습기살균제사건 |
---|---|
Hanja | 加濕器殺菌劑事件 |
Revised Romanization | Gaseupgi salgyunje sageon |
McCune–Reischauer | Kasŭpki salgyunje sagŏn |
The humidifier disinfectant case was an outbreak of lung diseases in South Korea caused by chemicals contained in humidifier disinfectants.
The outbreak was detected in children between 2006 and 2011,and in adults in the spring of 2011;the mortality rate in children was 58 percent,while among adults,53 percent died or required lung transplants. [1] Autopsies and epidemiological work,followed up by animal studies,led the South Korean CDC to identify polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) used in humidifier disinfectants as the cause. [1] [2]
The main cause of the lung diseases was the chemicals PHMG,methylchloroisothiazolinone (CMIT),methylisothiazolinone (MIT) and oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)-ethoxyethyl)guanidinium-chloride (PGH). [3] Experiment of South Korean government found pulmonary toxicity of PHMG and PGH [4] [5] PHMG and PGH caused pulmonary fibrosis when experimented on animals. On November 11,2011,six humidifier disinfectants which contain PHMG and PGH were recovered. PHMG and PGH was banned in 2011,and new cases ceased occurring. [1] [2]
However,later on,the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did not find a causal relationship that CMIT and MIT in humidifier disinfectants cause pulmonary fibrosis. This result,still,did not mean that CMIT and MIT were safe, [4] as the chemicals also affected the brain and skin to varying extents. [6] At least five victims used CMIT or MIT-based humidifier disinfectants. [7] [8]
Most victims used Reckitt Benckiser's humidifier disinfectant,Oxy Ssak Ssak (옥시싹싹),which led the British firm to various court indictments in the years following 2011. [9] [10] [11]
The South Korean film Air Murder is based on these events.
Asbestosis is long-term inflammation and scarring of the lungs due to asbestos fibers. Symptoms may include shortness of breath,cough,wheezing,and chest tightness. Complications may include lung cancer,mesothelioma,and pulmonary heart disease.
Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM),also known as environmental mycobacteria,atypical mycobacteria and mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT),are mycobacteria which do not cause tuberculosis or leprosy/Hansen's disease. NTM are able to cause pulmonary diseases that resemble tuberculosis. Mycobacteriosis is any of these illnesses,usually meant to exclude tuberculosis. They occur in many animals,including humans and are commonly found in soil and water.
Interstitial lung disease (ILD),or diffuse parenchymal lung disease (DPLD),is a group of respiratory diseases affecting the interstitium and space around the alveoli of the lungs. It concerns alveolar epithelium,pulmonary capillary endothelium,basement membrane,and perivascular and perilymphatic tissues. It may occur when an injury to the lungs triggers an abnormal healing response. Ordinarily,the body generates just the right amount of tissue to repair damage,but in interstitial lung disease,the repair process is disrupted,and the tissue around the air sacs (alveoli) becomes scarred and thickened. This makes it more difficult for oxygen to pass into the bloodstream. The disease presents itself with the following symptoms:shortness of breath,nonproductive coughing,fatigue,and weight loss,which tend to develop slowly,over several months. The average rate of survival for someone with this disease is between three and five years. The term ILD is used to distinguish these diseases from obstructive airways diseases.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a condition in which the lungs become scarred over time. Symptoms include shortness of breath,a dry cough,feeling tired,weight loss,and nail clubbing. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension,respiratory failure,pneumothorax,and lung cancer.
Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC,trading as Reckitt,is a British multinational consumer goods company headquartered in Slough,England. It is a producer of health,hygiene and nutrition products. The company was formed in March 1999 by the merger of British company Reckitt &Colman plc and Dutch company Benckiser N.V.
Bronchoconstriction is the constriction of the airways in the lungs due to the tightening of surrounding smooth muscle,with consequent coughing,wheezing,and shortness of breath.
Pneumonitis describes general inflammation of lung tissue. Possible causative agents include radiation therapy of the chest,exposure to medications used during chemo-therapy,the inhalation of debris,aspiration,herbicides or fluorocarbons and some systemic diseases. If unresolved,continued inflammation can result in irreparable damage such as pulmonary fibrosis.
Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP),formerly known as bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia (BOOP),is an inflammation of the bronchioles (bronchiolitis) and surrounding tissue in the lungs. It is a form of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia.
Black lung disease (BLD),also known as coal-mine dust lung disease,or simply black lung,is an occupational type of pneumoconiosis caused by long-term inhalation and deposition of coal dust in the lungs and the consequent lung tissue's reaction to its presence. It is common in coal miners and others who work with coal. It is similar to both silicosis from inhaling silica dust and asbestosis from inhaling asbestos dust. Inhaled coal dust progressively builds up in the lungs and leads to inflammation,fibrosis,and in worse cases,necrosis.
Occupational lung diseases comprise a broad group of diseases,including occupational asthma,industrial bronchitis,chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),bronchiolitis obliterans,inhalation injury,interstitial lung diseases,infections,lung cancer and mesothelioma. These can be caused directly or due to immunological response to an exposure to a variety of dusts,chemicals,proteins or organisms. Occupational cases of interstitial lung disease may be misdiagnosed as COPD,idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis,or a myriad of other diseases;leading to a delay in identification of the causative agent.
Lysol is a brand of American cleaning and disinfecting products distributed by Reckitt,which markets the similar Dettol or Sagrotan in other markets. The line includes liquid solutions for hard and soft surfaces,air treatment,and hand washing. The active ingredient in many Lysol products is benzalkonium chloride,but the active ingredient in the Lysol "Power and Free" line is hydrogen peroxide. Lysol has been used since its invention in the late 19th century as a household and industrial cleaning agent,and previously as a medical disinfectant.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF),or (formerly) fibrosing alveolitis,is a rare,progressive illness of the respiratory system,characterized by the thickening and stiffening of lung tissue,associated with the formation of scar tissue. It is a type of chronic scarring lung disease characterized by a progressive and irreversible decline in lung function. The tissue in the lungs becomes thick and stiff,which affects the tissue that surrounds the air sacs in the lungs. Symptoms typically include gradual onset of shortness of breath and a dry cough. Other changes may include feeling tired,and abnormally large and dome shaped finger and toenails. Complications may include pulmonary hypertension,heart failure,pneumonia or pulmonary embolism.
Usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP) is a form of lung disease characterized by progressive scarring of both lungs. The scarring (fibrosis) involves the pulmonary interstitium. UIP is thus classified as a form of interstitial lung disease.
Pulmonary function testing (PFT) is a complete evaluation of the respiratory system including patient history,physical examinations,and tests of pulmonary function. The primary purpose of pulmonary function testing is to identify the severity of pulmonary impairment. Pulmonary function testing has diagnostic and therapeutic roles and helps clinicians answer some general questions about patients with lung disease. PFTs are normally performed by a pulmonary function technician,respiratory therapist,respiratory physiologist,physiotherapist,pulmonologist,or general practitioner.
Pirfenidone,sold under the brand name Pirespa among others,is a medication used for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It works by reducing lung fibrosis through downregulation of the production of growth factors and procollagens I and II.
Acute inhalation injury may result from frequent and widespread use of household cleaning agents and industrial gases. The airways and lungs receive continuous first-pass exposure to non-toxic and irritant or toxic gases via inhalation. Irritant gases are those that,on inhalation,dissolve in the water of the respiratory tract mucosa and provoke an inflammatory response,usually from the release of acidic or alkaline radicals. Smoke,chlorine,phosgene,sulfur dioxide,hydrogen chloride,hydrogen sulfide,nitrogen dioxide,ozone,and ammonia are common irritants.
Equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic lung disease of horses. There is evidence that the disease is caused by infection with a gammaherpesvirus,equine herpesvirus 5. The disease affects usually adult horses reducing the ability to exercise as a result of the formation of nodular lesions in the lungs.
Polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) is a guanidine derivative that is used as a biocidal disinfectant,often in the form of its salt polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG-P).
Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs,and is also known as pulmonary emphysema.
Air Murder is a 2022 South Korean drama film written and directed by Jo Yong-sun. The film,based on novel Gyun by So Ji-won,which deals with the humidifier disinfectant disaster that actually happened in Korea,was released on April 22,2022.