Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology

  • Volume 31
  • /
  • Pages.19.1-19.7
  • /
  • 2016
  • /
  • 2671-9525(eISSN)
The Korean Society of Environmental Health and Toxicology (환경독성보건학회)
권호 표지
DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Humidifier disinfectant lung injury, how do we approach the issues?

  • Choi, Jihyun Emma (Department of Pediatrics, Childhood Asthma Atopy Center, Environmental Health Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine) ;
  • Hong, Sang-Bum (Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine) ;
  • Do, Kyung-Hyun (Department of Radiology and Research Institute of Radiology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine) ;
  • Kim, Hwa Jung (Department of Preventive Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine) ;
  • Chung, Seockhoon (Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine) ;
  • Lee, Eun (Department of Pediatrics, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital) ;
  • Choi, Jihyun (Environmental Health Center, Asan Medical Center) ;
  • Hong, Soo-Jong (Department of Pediatrics, Childhood Asthma Atopy Center, Environmental Health Center, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine)
  • Received : 2016.06.20
  • Accepted : 2016.08.29
  • Published : 2016.01.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

A large portion of the Korean population has been exposed to toxic humidifier disinfectants (HDs), and considering that the majority of the victims are infants, the magnitude of the damage is expected to be considerably larger than what has currently been revealed. The current victims are voicing problems caused by various diseases, including but not limited to lung, upper respiratory tract, cardiovascular, kidney, musculoskeletal, eye, and skin diseases, etc. However, there has been difficulty in gaining validation for these health problems and identifying causal relationships due to lack of evidence proving that toxic HD is the specific causes of extrapulmonary diseases such as allergic rhinitis. Furthermore, the victims and bereaved families of the HD case have not received any support for psychological distress such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, feelings of injustice, and anger caused by the trauma. In addition, because the underlying mechanisms of the toxic materials within the HDs such as polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate, poly(oxyalkylene guanidine) hydrochloride, chloromethylisothiazolinone /methylisothiazolinone have yet to be determined, the demand for information regarding the HD issue is growing. The victims of the HD cases require support that goes beyond financial aid for medical costs and living expenses. There is a desperate need for government-led integrated support centers that provide individualized support through health screenings; in other words, we need an integrated facility that provides the appropriate social support to allow the victims to recover their physical and mental health, so as to well prepare them to return to a normal life. The implementation of such a plan requires not only the close cooperation between those departments already directly involved such as the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, but also active support on a national scale from pan-governmental consultative bodies.

Keywords

References

  1. Cheon CK, Jin HS, Kang EK, Kim HB, Kim BJ, Yu JH, et al. Epidemic acute interstitial pneumonia in children occurred during the early 2006s. Korean J Pediatr 2008;51(4):383-390 (Korean). https://doi.org/10.3345/kjp.2008.51.4.383
  2. Lee E, Seo JH, Kim HY, Yu J, Jhang WK, Park SJ, et al. Toxic inhalational injury-associated interstitial lung disease in children. J Korean Med Sci 2013;28(6):915-923. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2013.28.6.915
  3. Yang HJ, Kim HJ, Yu J, Lee E, Jung YH, Kim HY, et al. Inhalation toxicity of humidifier disinfectants as a risk factor of children's interstitial lung disease in Korea: a case-control study. PLoS One 2013;8(6):e64430. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0064430
  4. Kim KW, Ahn K, Yang HJ, Lee S, Park JD, Kim WK, et al. Humidifier disinfectant-associated children's interstitial lung disease. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2014;189(1):48-56.
  5. Hong SB, Kim HJ, Huh JW, Do KH, Jang SJ, Song JS, et al. A cluster of lung injury associated with home humidifier use: clinical, radiological and pathological description of a new syndrome. Thorax 2014;69(8):694-702. https://doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2013-204135
  6. Kim HJ, Lee MS, Hong SB, Huh JW, Do KH, Jang SJ, et al. A cluster of lung injury cases associated with home humidifier use: an epidemiological investigation. Thorax 2014;69(8):703-708. https://doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2013-204132
  7. Ministry of Environment. Environmental policies briefs. Sejong: Ministry of Environment; 2014, p. 2-7 (Korean).
  8. Lung Injury Investigation Committee. White paper on the health damage disaster from humidifier disinfectants. Sejong: Ministry of Health and Welfare; 2014, p. 12-99 (Korean).
  9. University of Ulsan, Foundation for Industry Cooperation; Yonsei University, University Industry Foundation. Follow-up report on humidifier disinfectant damage with health monitoring. Sejong: Ministry of Environment; 2015, p. 34 (Korean).
  10. Jeon BH, Park YJ. Frequency of humidifier and humidifier disinfectant usage in Gyeonggi provine. Environ Health Toxicol 2012;27:e2012002. https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.2012.27.e2012002
  11. Chang MH, Park H, Ha M, Kim Y, Hong YC, Ha EH. Characteristics of humidifier use in Korean pregnant women: the Mothers And Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study. Environ Health Toxicol 2012;27:e2012003. https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.2012.27.e2012003
  12. Kim EH, Ahn K, Cheong HK. Use of humidifiers with children suffering from atopic dermatitis. Environ Health Toxicol 2012;27:e2012004. https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.2012.27.e2012004
  13. Ministry of Environment. Additional government assistance policy on living expenses and nursing fee for humidifier disinfectant victims!; 2016 Jun 3 [cited 2016 Sep 24]. Available from: http://www.me.go.Kr/home/web/board/read.do?pagerOffset=0&maxPageItems=10&maxIndexPages=10&searchKey=title&searchValue=%EA%B0%80%EC%8A%B5%EA%B8%B0&menuId=286&orgCd=&boardId=644900&boardMasterId=1&boardCategoryId=&decorator=(Korean).
  14. Ministry of Environment. Government assistance policy for humidifier disinfectant victim; 2014 Apr [cited 2016 2016 Sep 24]. Available from: http://www.me.go.kr/home/web/board/read.do?pagerOffset=360&maxPageItems=10&maxIndexPages=10&searchKey=title&searchValue=&menuId=286&orgCd=&condition.toDate=2014-11-01&condition.fromDate=2014-04-01&boardId=345090&boardMasterId=1&boardCategoryId=39&decorator=(Korean).
  15. Health Environment Center, Asan Medical Center. Annual report on health environment center 2015. Seoul: Asan Medical Center; 2016, p. 83-99 (Korean).
  16. Ansan Mental Health Trauma Center. History, and Organization of Ansan mental health trauma center [cited 2016 Sep 16]. Available from: http://www.ansantrauma.net/theme/basic/sub105_2014.php (Korean).
  17. National Institute for Minamata Disease. Overview [cited 2016 Sep 16]. Available from: http://www.nimd.go.jp/english/enkaku/enkaku.html.

Cited by

  1. Combined approaches using adverse outcome pathways and big data to find potential diseases associated with humidifier disinfectant vol.32, pp.None, 2016, https://doi.org/10.5620/eht.e2017003
  2. Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies and Insomnia or Other Psychiatric Symptoms among Humidifier Disinfectant Victims vol.9, pp.1, 2016, https://doi.org/10.17241/smr.2018.00136
  3. Family-based case-control study of exposure to household humidifier disinfectants and risk of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia vol.14, pp.9, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0221322
  4. Problems with diagnostic criteria for humidifier disinfectant lung injury (HDLI): two cases of radiologically improved HDLI vol.32, pp.1, 2020, https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2020.32.e1
  5. Mental health impact on a humidifier disinfectant disaster victim: a case report vol.32, pp.1, 2016, https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2020.32.e15
  6. Mental health impact on a humidifier disinfectant disaster victim: a case report vol.32, pp.1, 2016, https://doi.org/10.35371/aoem.2020.32.e15
  7. Comparison of Long Term Follow-up Chest CT Imaging in Adult and Pediatric Patients with Humidifier Disinfectant-related Lung Injury vol.35, pp.45, 2016, https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2020.35.e377